Fans looking forward to a big season out of the Houston Texans have a reason to be concerned after learning that J.J. Watt underwent back surgery this week.
The three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year played through a herniated disk in his back last season (along with other injuries). The herniated disk apparently was aggravated while Watt was doing some training, leading to him having the surgery this week.
Right now there are questions about the recovery timeline for the Texans stud. Some reporters have said Watt could be out 6-8 weeks, while another says Watt could need up to 10 weeks to be ready.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says a source told him Watt could need 10 weeks to recover:
On JJ Watt, texted with a source informed of his prognosis who pumped the brakes on early optimism. Cautioned it could take up to 10 weeks.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 22, 2016
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says eight weeks could be a good case for the Texans:
#Texans DL JJ Watt’s surgery was for a herniated disc, source said. He had symptoms while working out on his own. 8 week return is best-case
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2016
The initial report from the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain was that Watt would not miss any games this season. That may still be the case as Watt has 7.5 weeks before his Texans open up the season at home against the Bears.
Ultimately this may come down to how comfortable Watt feels playing through pain to start the season, and how long it will take him to get to close to 100 percent. Given Watt’s history of playing through injuries and pain (see this for example), we wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field in Week 1.
