It’s been an up-and-down season for Houston Texans starting free safety Dominique Barber, who has been placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and will miss the team’s final regular-season game of the year.

Barber started three of the team’s first four games before a high ankle sprain had him in and out of the lineup for the middle part of the season. He came back on Dec. 6 with five tackles in the second half of the game against Jacksonville to win back his starting job.

He had eight tackles and his first career interception, against St. Louis, over the next two games before hurting his hamstring last week against Miami. The injury derails what has been a season of growth for Barber, who has tallied 35 tackles in 13 games.

In 2008, Barber's rookie season, he totaled 15 tackles to go along with a sack in 12 games.

The younger brother of Cowboys running back Marion Barber, Dominique was drafted in the 6th round out of the University of Minnesota in 2008.