Jul 27, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. Misses Third-Straight Practice

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 12:10 PM ET

One notable Houston Texans star has seemingly missed his third-straight practice leading up to Week 4 vs. the Tennessee Titans.

According to Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle, Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was not seen at the team's third and final practice available to the media ahead of this weekend's game vs. the Titans.

#Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. is not participating in the portion of practice open to the media.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) September 26, 2025

Stingley has been out of the mix for Houston since suffering an oblique injury vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, one that would inevitably rule him out for the entire second half of the game that eventually wound up as a 10-17 loss on the road for the Texans.

Fast forward one more week, and that ailment could end up sidelining Stingley Jr. for another divisional bout, this time against the 0-3 Titans.

Just because Stingley didn't practice for Houston's last session open to the media doesn't mean he hasn't made progress towards a return vs. Tennessee or that he's already labeled out of the fold. However, while not always the case, three straight missed practices for most players in the league tends to hint towards one direction in determining their status for game time.

If Stingley Jr. is forced out, that's a major blow to this Texans secondary that's already bound to face a couple of other adjustments against Tennessee, including the release of starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson earlier in the week, and continuing to counter the loss of rookie Jaylin Smith in the cornerback room already.

During his limited sample size this season, Stingley has logged eight combined tackles and three passes defended for the Texans.

The Texans, while without Stingley Jr. in the meantime, have rolled with Kamari Lassiter and veteran Tremon Smith as their top two corners on the boundary. Considering Houston's cornerback room is slimmed to three healthy and active names at the moment, that could leave the door open for practice squad elevations from last week in Myles Bryant and D'Angelo Ross to return once more.

Stingley Jr.'s status will become more concrete in due time, but don't be shocked if the star cornerback is eventually ruled out ahead of Houston's home matchup vs. Tennessee before the weekend even begins.