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Houston Texans rookie center Nick Martin had ankle surgery and is expected to miss four months, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The Texans' second-round pick (50th overall) in the 2016 draft, Martin sustained a high-ankle sprain Aug. 18 during a practice against the New Orleans Saints. Houston will likely put Martin on injured reserve but could bring him back to practice in six weeks. He would be able to play two weeks later. The previous rule, adopted in 2012, required a team to decide if it wanted to designate a player to return when it put him on IR. In March, the NFL owners passed a change that allows a team to bring any one player back, provided he has spent at least six weeks on injured reserve. Greg Mancz, a former undrafted free agent, has played in the first two preseason games and has taken the majority of reps in Martin's absence. Martin's injury was the latest to an offensive line that is already missing starting tackles Duane Brown (quadriceps) and Derek Newton (hamstring). The NFL Network first reported Martin's surgery. Information from ESPN's Dan Graziano, Josina Anderson and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.
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