The Houston Texans have placed former Penn State center Juice Scruggs on injured reserve, KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson reported Thursday afternoon.
#Texans placed Juice Scruggs (hamstring) and Cameron Johnston (calf) on IR, signed Michael Deiter to practice squad along with Dieter Eiselen and Lance McCutcheon, announced Mike Boone and Cory Littleton re-signings. Both signed identical deals they previously signed
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 31, 2023
Scruggs, a second-round pick, had a great preseason and was potentially slated to get some more playing time than originally thought in his rookie year.
Despite the setback, Scruggs is eligible to play for the Texans in 2023.
Scruggs’s selection in the second round surprised many, including himself.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be in the second round,” an elated Scruggs told reporters via Zoom the night he was drafted. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity, for sure.”
“My heart just started racing, and I answered the call.”
Scruggs left quite an impression on his Penn State teammates.
“Juice Scruggs,” offensive lineman Drew Shelton said at Penn State’s second-year player media availability this February. “He took us all in as soon as we got here. Me and Vega (Ioane), in the meeting room. He sat right next to him, I sat right behind him, and he had all the answers. Well, not all the answers, but he had most of the answers.”
There was a point in Scruggs’s life where it didn’t seem like anything was going his way.
The week before spring practice, Scruggs suffered an injury that cost him his 2019 campaign.
Scruggs was seriously hurt in a single-car accident roughly a half-hour away from his hometown, Ashtabula, Ohio. The accident ejected Scruggs from the vehicle, broke his back and gave him a concussion. He spent a week in the hospital and another at home.
The accident could have ended his life, let alone his football career.
Scruggs didn’t give up.
Didn’t even consider it.
Now, he has another hurdle to get through on his way to what he hopes to be a successful NFL career.
