The Houston Texans are battling the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, and veteran linebacker and 2025 team captain Azeez Al-Shaair may have landed himself a notification from the NFL in the week to follow.
During a third-and-5 in the first quarter of the contest, Al-Shaair was part of the pursuit effort against Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
Al-Shaair put a hit on the QB that the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander noticed.
Azeez Al-Shaair Expected to Hear From NFL After Texans-Titans
Al-Shaair is the Texans’ leading tackler with 25 combined stops, and he was voted a team captain entering the season. His pursuit helped force an incompletion from Ward, but Al-Shaair also appeared to make contact with the QB’s head and neck area, which is illegal.
“Azeez might get fined for that hit,” Alexander posted on X on September 28. “Fortunate he wasn’t called for a penalty.”
“These are the type of hits he cannot take. Watch the shot he takes from Al-Shaair,” CBS Sports’ Ross Tucker said during the broadcast of the game. “Ooh, that’s to the head, too. That is absolutely to the head. Now, Ward’s outside of the pocket. You can see on the sideline, they’re going crazy.”
The Titans missed the ensuing field goal try.
Titans Fans, Media React to Azeez Al-Shaair Hit on Cam Ward
Fans and media alike reacted to the lack of a call on Al-Shaair, particularly with the NFL’s ever-increasing emphasis on protecting quarterbacks. Some suggested that Ward’s lack of cache status may have played a part.
Others were simply incredulous that no flags were thrown.
“How is this not a personal foul on Azeez Al-Shaair for Illegal Hands to the Face to Cam Ward????” one fan posted.
“Unbelievable that Al-Shaair isn’t penalized for that hit on Ward,” AtoZ Sports’ Easton Freeze posted in reaction. “Textbook penalty call.”
Freeze’s AtoZ Sports colleague, Buck Reising, posted that Al-Shaair “damn near decapitated Cam Ward. That’s terrible.” Meanwhile, “The Bullpen: A Houston Texans Podcast” host James Roy posted that the Texans were “lucky” to avoid a penalty.
Azeez Al-Shaair No Stranger to Controversy
Al-Shaair has been on the wrong side of fan ire before, specifically regarding quarterbacks, with the Texans linebacker also facing backlash over a hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season.
Lawrence was sliding feet first, which means he had given himself up, and Al-Shaair delivered a forcible blow to his head and neck area.
Lawrence missed the final five weeks of the 2024 season with a concussion.
Al-Shaair received a three-game suspension without pay for the hit, but he was not fined. There was some debate in NFL circles about that incident and whether or not Lawrence had declared his intentions soon enough to avoid such a blow.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s History a Potentially Key Factor
Lawrence said in January that he did not like the hit, but also did not believe Al-Shaair intended to hurt him. He reiterated those thoughts last week.
Al-Shaair told reporters in January that he apologized to Lawrence, but wanted to move on.
Ward was not sliding or attempting to get out of bounds on this most recent play, which could work in Al-Shaair and the Texans’ favor, particularly regarding a potential suspension. However, the apparent contact with Ward’s head and neck is a violation of league rules.
Lawrence and the Jaguars defeated Al-Shaair and the Texans in Week 3, notching a 17-10 victory at home.