New Houston coach DeMeco Ryans praised Texans wide receiver John Metchie III’s resilience in the face of a cancer diagnosis, but he did not say when Metchie might return to the field on Wednesday.

The 44th selection in last year’s NFL Draft, Metchie missed the 2022 NFL season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in July.

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“I saw Metchie a lot playing at Alabama,” Ryans told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday. “A truly great, talented kid. I’m just proud of the way everything that he’s been through just shows such a resilient young man that I’m happy, excited to work with. So proud of his process and the things that he’s been through. He shows the mental toughness, he shows all the grit and all those things, and I’m proud of how Metchie has continued to battle.”

Ryans and Metchie are former Alabama standouts.

Ryans earned unanimous All-American recognition and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award as a Crimson Tide senior in 2005 before a 10-year NFL playing career. He became Houston’s head coach on Jan. 31 after working the previous two years as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator.

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Metchie had 151 receptions for 2,058 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Alabama as the Tide reached the CFP national title game for 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 Metchie’s pro career, the Texans traded the 68th, 108th and 124th selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to jump ahead 24 slots to take Metchie on April 29.

In January, Houston general manager Nick Caserio said Metchie might be able to open the Texans’ offseason program on time in April.

“I say there’s a chance that he’ll be ready for the start of the offseason program,” Caserio said. “I think there’re still some things that he has to complete or go through. But, quite frankly, it’s amazing what he’s done to this point. …

“He’ll probably have some modifications. I don’t know exactly what that looks like. But at some point, assuming everything goes OK, then I think he’ll have an opportunity to participate fully, assuming everything gets cleared.”

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.

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