Former Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III missed his entire NFL rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in July.

But with Metchie looking “better now than he did when we drafted him,” the Houston Texans think he might be ready to get back on the field when the team starts its offseason program in April.

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“I say there’s a chance that he’ll be ready for the start of the offseason program,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said during a Wednesday appearance on “Payne and Pendergast” on KILT-AM in Houston. “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.

“Not to get into my workout routine, but on Fridays I went in there in the afternoon and I’d go through my workout, and John was in there every Friday kind of going through his workout, and he actually looks better now than he did when we drafted him in the spring. He’s improved his strength. He’s improved his lower-body strength. His attitude has been great, even though he’s been dealing with a lot of things medically, but, quite frankly, you wouldn’t know. I mean, this kid is incredible. He’s a special kid.

“So does that mean: OK, he’s going to be able to walk out there and catch 100 passes? No, I’m not saying that. But it’s been amazing to watch his progression from when we brought him in, kind of to what he went through over the summer, what he did during the course of the fall, and it’s really a tremendous credit to him. It speaks to who he is as a person, and I think it’s emblematic of the type of people we have in this building.

“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.”

Metchie had 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season for the Crimson Tide.

Houston traded the 68th, 108th and 124th selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to jump ahead 24 slots to take Metchie with the 44th choice on April 29 even though the Texans considered it likely he would have a delayed start to his pro career because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained in Alabama’s 41-24 victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4.

Then came the cancer diagnosis that derailed Metchie’s entire season.

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 to both 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.