Texans DL Sheldon Rankins details battle with viral meningitis and shingles

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Aug 1, 2025 - 01:30
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Texans DL Sheldon Rankins details battle with viral meningitis and shingles

Last season, Sheldon Rankins thought he'd be building off a stellar season with the Houston Texans in a new city. After inking a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, Rankins believed the best was yet to come.

It didn't, but not because of his on-field play. In his first interview back with the Texans on Tuesday, Rankins said he suffered from viral meningitis and shingles starting in November, causing him to lose 50 pounds and miss multiple games.

"That knocked me out for a while. A lot of people don't know and a lot of people thought, ‘What type of illness or what type of thing could have someone out this long?’ A lot of people don't know, I was literally laying horizontal in my house, in a dark house, for probably about a month and a half before I could really even sit up without feeling kind of crazy," Rankins said. "I went through all that. Throughout the process of that, I started the season last year probably around 300 pounds. By the end of dealing with all of that, along with some other things, I was probably down to 255. So, lost all my strength, lost all the weight, power."

 Viral meningitis is an infection that causes swelling of the fluid and protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Shingles is no better. It's a viral infection that causes a painful rash and causes sweats, leading to significant weight loss.

After missing a majority of the stretch last season, the Bengals parted ways with Rankins. Once a free agent, Rankins made it clear he wanted to "get back to Houston," signing a one-year deal this offseason ahead of free agency.

“I was really interested in getting Sheldon back because knowing the type of player that he was when he was here, the leadership that he provided, him and Will [Anderson Jr.] had a really great connection their first year together and really wanted to keep Sheldon," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.

Rankins is hopeful he can return to his 2023 form in another contract year. After inking a one-year deal following his stint with the New York Jets, Rankins ended up generating six sacks and 37 tackles.

He also scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery. Back to his playing weight, Rankins feels like he's ready to help Houston advance past the divisional round for the first time in franchise history.

"I worked my ass off this whole season to ensure not only physically that I could come out here and play, but mentally I was past a lot of the stuff and health-wise, internally, that I was able to check things off my list and get back to feeling great," Rankins said. "I know when I feel great, I can be a difference maker.”

The Texans return to practice on Friday morning before leaving for The Greenbriar.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans' Sheldon Rankins details battle with viral meningitis. shingles

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