JJ Watt has said numerous times this offseason that he feels ready to go after he underwent back surgery nearly a year ago, and he is going to get an opportunity to prove it later this week.
Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien said after practice on Saturday that Watt will be available for Wednesday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. O’Brien said “yeah” when asked if Watt will suit up.
“Everybody that’s able to play in the game will play in the game,” he added, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “Obviously, we’ll talk about it as a staff, how much everybody plays. You have injuries, so, 80-plus guys you have to get into the game (and) you need to evaluate.”
Watt has been getting scheduled days off during training camp and offseason practices, and O’Brien says that has been the plan all along to keep the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year healthy. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that continued throughout the regular season.
Watt appeared in just three games last year before the back injury ended his season. He had appeared in all 16 games in each of his first five years in the NFL prior to that. Despite some alarming revelations he made after he went under the knife last year, the 28-year-old will look to bounce back and lead a playoff-caliber defense in 2017.
