Rick Smith is taking an extended leave of absence from the Houston Texans to take care of his wife, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Smith has been tending to his wife throughout this season while she has undergone treatment in Arizona.

"I am eternally grateful to the McNair family for their unwavering support during this trying time," Smith said in a statement Sunday. "This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make as I love this organization and every member of this team both on and off the field. I remain committed to our quest to bring a championship to the city of Houston, yet my family needs me now and they are my priority."

The Houston Texans will likely retain Bill O'Brien as head coach in 2018.

While O'Brien is expected to return, there are issues to be discussed and details on his contract.

O'Brien has one season remaining on a five-year deal he signed when he became the Texans' coach in 2014. Houston would likely require O'Brien to sign an extension.

Earlier this month, O'Brien said that he "will never quit as head football coach of the Houston Texans. Ever."

Deshaun Watson has voiced his support for O'Brien.

The Houston Texans will not be disciplined by the NFL for how they handled the concussion symptoms of Tom Savage in Week 14.

Savage suffered the concussion in the second quarter, when he took a hit on third down that left him on the ground with his hands twitching. But Savage was allowed to re-enter the game after being checked on the sideline. Savage was taken to the locker room one series later.

Bill O'Brien said Savage was checked immediately after he took the hit, and he was cleared by the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant to return to the field. 

The NFL and NFL Players Association, in a joint statement to confirm new changes to the concussion protocol, acknowledged that the outcome allowing Savage to return to the field was "unacceptable."

In the joint statement, the NFL and NFLPA said the medical staff saw the "initial broadcast video" but not the slow-motion replay that made clear Savage's fencing posture and the twitching of his hands.

The Texans put Savage on injured reserve before their Week 16 contest as he never practiced following the concussion.

Bill O'Brien has received a vote of confidence from his rookie quarterback.

Reports have surfaced that O'Brien is at odds with the Houston Texans' front office.

"We have a great relationship," Deshaun Watson said of O'Brien. "Coach OB is fun to play for. He's very tough on you. He wants you to be successful. I would love to have coach OB back and I'm ready to have him with me for my whole career."

Deshaun Watson, who tore his right ACL in practice on Nov. 2, knows he'll be back as quarterback of the Houston Texans next season.

Watson had surgery six days after suffering the injury. He tore his left ACL during his freshman season at Clemson and returned to the field five months later.

"There's no timeline from ACLs," Watson said. "People give you five, six, seven, eight months to come back. It's just whenever we feel it's right. But I know for sure I'll be back next season."

The Texans are 1-6 since Watson went down with Tom Savage and T.J. Yates filling in.

The NFL has five teams ranking in the top-10 in DVOA on both Offense and Defense after Week 14. In an indication of how much turnover there's been in parts of the NFL, none of those five teams (Rams, Eagles, Vikings, Saints and Chargers) made the playoffs in 2016.

The Chiefs, Cowboys, Steelers, Falcons and Patriots also rank in the top-10 on offense, while the Jaguars, Broncos, Panthers, Ravens and Cardinals rank in the top-10 on defense.

The Seahawks, who have consistently been one of the NFL's top teams in DVOA during the Russell Wilson era, are just outside the top-10 in both categories.

C.J. Fiedorowicz could retire at the age of 26 after suffering at least his fourth concussion over the past two seasons.

Fiedorowicz was placed on injured reserve in early September because of a concussion. He returned to Houston's active roster in Week 10 but was placed on IR again last week after suffering at least his third concussion this season.

Sources say Fiedorowicz may be unable to pass a team physical.

When the Texans awarded him a three-year, $21.5 million contract extension last summer that included $10 million guaranteed, they included a de-escalator that would bring down his base salary by $2.8 million if he were to be cut as a result of a pre-existing condition such as a concussion.