When Deshaun Watson suffered the first torn ACL of his football career while he was playing at Clemson, he was somehow able to fully recover in just five months. While he may not return quite as quickly this time around, the quarterback appears to be ahead of schedule once again.
Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on Tuesday that Watson is expected to be on the field throwing at some point during organized team activities, which begin in May.
#Texans coach Bill O’Brien says QB Deshaun Watson is ahead of schedule in ACL rehab and could be on the field throwing for OTAs. Probably not in team periods but in individuals.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2018
Watson tore his ACL in practice last November, which means a return in May would be roughly six months of rehab. He was originally expected to miss up to nine months. We knew Watson was ahead of schedule when he shared this video just three months after he suffered the injury, so he has obviously not experienced any setbacks.
Watson posted a quarterback rating of 103.0 and threw 19 touchdown passes compared to eight interceptions in seven games with the Texans last year. He broke Dan Marino’s record for most touchdown passes in a month by a rookie when he threw 16 in the month of October alone. If Watson can stay healthy for a full season, the Texans should be a playoff contender in the AFC.
