John Metchie III missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in July. But as Houston opened its offseason program, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said the former Alabama wide receiver would be involved.

“John is doing fine,” Ryans said on Tuesday. “We’ll see John get involved with our offseason program, and with John, as with every other player, we’re going to take it one day at a time and see where he can grow and where he can be when the time comes, the right time. When the season comes, we’ll see where he is.”

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According to the National Institutes of Health’s Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, acute promyelocytic leukemia occurs when “there are too many immature blood-forming cells (promyelocytes) in the blood and bone marrow. This buildup of promyelocytes leads to a shortage of normal white and red blood cells and platelets in the body. The signs and symptoms of APL include an increased risk both to bleed and form blood clots. Individuals may also experience excessive tiredness, pain in affected areas, loss of appetite and weight loss.”

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society calls APL “the most curable form of adult leukemia” with cure rates of 90 percent at centers specializing in treatment of the disease.

“Hearing his story and then meeting him in person, it marries up,” said Ryans, who is preparing for his first season as Houston’s coach. “Outstanding young man off the field. Great energy. Always around. Every time I see him in the building, huge smile on his face. No matter what adversity he’s faced, he’s attacking it with a smile, attacking it with the right attitude.

“It just solidifies the type of person that he is. And the type of people and the type of players that we want to add to our team is guys with that type of attitude.”

Metchie had 151 receptions for 2,058 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Alabama as the Crimson Tide reached the CFP national title game for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

Metchie caught eight passes for 81 yards in Alabama’s 52-24 victory over Ohio State in the championship game on Jan. 11, 2021. But he missed the Tide’s 33-18 loss to Georgia on Jan. 10, 2022, after he sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Alabama’s 41-24 victory over the Bulldogs five weeks before in the SEC Championship Game.

Even though Houston knew the knee injury would delay the start of his pro career, the Texans traded the 68th, 108th and 124th selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to move up to the 44th pick to take Metchie on April 29.

Houston will be hoping to add Metchie to a depth chart missing last season’s top two wide receivers. The Texans traded Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys last month. Cooks had 57 receptions for 699 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. Chris Moore caught 48 passes for 548 yards and two touchdowns last season, but he remains an unrestricted free agent.

Houston’s leading returning wide receiver is former Clay-Chalkville standout Nico Collins. Injuries caused Collins to miss seven games in 2022. In the other 10, he had 37 receptions for 481 yards and two touchdowns.

The Texans signed wide receivers Noah Brown and Robert Woods in free agency in March. A 1,000-yard receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and 2019, Woods had 53 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns for the Tennessee Titans in 2022. Brown is coming off his best pro season after catching 43 passes for 555 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.