Duane Brown says he will play Sunday, barring setbacks

HOUSTON -- Texans left tackle Duane Brown said he will play on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, barring any setbacks during practice this week.

Brown returned to practice last week for the first time since he tore the quadriceps tendon in his right knee in the 2015 regular-season finale against the Jaguars.

"[I'm] very excited," Brown said. "I love this game, I love to be out there with my teammates. I love competing. Being sidelined for almost nine months now, it's been tough.

"It was very difficult. It was the toughest injury I've had in my career, and to have it going into Year 9, it's taxing on your body. But mentally I had the right frame of mind going into it. It's just been a grind."

Brown spent all of training camp and the preseason on the physically unable to perform list while rehabbing the injury. The Texans chose to put him on the active roster before the regular season instead of leaving him on the physically unable to perform list, which would have kept him out of practice for at least the first six weeks of the season.

To play, Brown said, it will be important for him to make sure he can generate the same kind of power in his injured right leg as he can in his left. He said he wants to make sure he can be confident in his technique and make sure he can take the same steps he took before the injury without overcompensating for the injury.

Brown said Wednesday's practice was the toughest test he's had in his recovery, but he was happy with what he was able to accomplish.

"It felt pretty good," Brown said. "Just trying to stack the days consecutively. [I'm] very encouraged by what happened today, and as of now, I'm good to go."