Sheldon Rankins has returned for a second stint with the Houston Texans after spending the 2024 season with the Cincinnati Bengals. On Monday, Rankins revealed that he dealt with quite a bit of adversity throughout the 2024 campaign as he had bouts with meningitis and shingles in November.
As a result, Rankins ended up losing more than 50 pounds and couldn’t sit up or eat over a two-month period.
“I wasn’t myself last year,” Rankins told the Houston Chronicle. “I ended up having a shingles outbreak and viral meningitis at the same time. That kind of knocked me out for a while. … A lot of people don’t know I was laying horizontal in a dark house for probably about a month and a half before I could really even sit up. It was really kind of crazy.”
Meningitis is an infection where fluid swells around the brain and the spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic. On the other hand, shingles is a viral infection that results in a painful rash that forms on a person’s body.
After dealing with the two painful medical conditions, Rankins is ready to return to form and thrive as a member of the Texans.
“I was probably down to 255 [pounds]. Lost all my strength, lost all the weight, [my power],” Rankins added. “I worked my ass off to ensure not only physically that I can come out here and play, but mentally I was past a lot of the stuff. Health-wise, I was internally able to kind of check things off my list and feeling great. I know when I feel good I can be a difference maker.”
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Rankins recorded 18 combined tackles and a sack in just seven games in 2024. In February, the Bengals chose to release Rankins, who had another season left on his contract. Just a few weeks later, the veteran defensive tackle signed a one-year deal with the Texans.
Rankins had one of his more successful NFL seasons with the Texans in 2023 as he tallied 37 combined tackles, six sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits. If he can return to his previous form, Rankins can help Houston’s front seven become very dangerous in 2025.
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