Houston (CBS Houston) – The Houston Texans first overall selection is still a few weeks away from returning from his knee injury, but he’s getting closer.

“Right now I’m just taking it day by day, trying to get healthy,” Jadeveon Clowney said. “Rehab is coming along good. Getting healthy. My legs feel a lot better.”

Clowney said he just recently started testing out the injured knee with jogging and running. He tore his meniscus week 1 against the Redskins.

It hasn’t been easy for the injured outside linebacker.

“I talk to the guys every day. I’m like, ‘Man, I’m kind of upset I ain’t getting to play with you guys right now,’ ”

Clowney’s impending return can’t get here soon enough for the Texans. Tony Romo and the league’s leading rusher Demarco Murray loom this weekend in a showdown with the Cowboys. Less than a week later AFC South rivals the Colts and star quarterback Andrew Luck come to Houston.

He isn’t going to rush his return though.

“I keep telling the guys ‘I think I’m ready. I think I’m ready!’ and they’d be like ‘man you just got injured,” Clowney said. He mentioned the veteran players on the team encourage him to think long-term and returning when he can help the team the most. He also is wary of not taking the risk of re-injuring his knee.

“I want my leg to be very healthy before I come back out there and play.”

He wouldn’t pinpoint and exact time for his return from the injury, but Clowney did mention he hopes to be back in “a few weeks.”

He was also quick to dismiss the NRG stadium turf as the reason he was injured.

“I think it’s just how I came down on it wrong,” Clowney said. “It was just me being a football player and trying to make a play.”

It could be sooner, rather than later for his return though. The original diagnosis called for him to miss 4-6 weeks, and Clowney is fast approaching the front half of that time frame.

“I’m going through the hard part to get to the good part-to playing again,” he said. “I’m just really looking forward to getting back out there on the field, making plays for my team, and getting wins.”

Get in touch with Cody Stoots on Twitter – @Cody_Stoots

[display-posts category=”sports” wrapper=”ul” posts_per_page=”5″]