Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has been on the field to watch star defensive end J.J. Watt practice as he returns from a back injury that cost him all but three games last season.
O’Brien himself also seemingly has a warning for Texans opponents this season. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner, might actually be better than he was before the injury.
“I can tell you right now the guy’s going to be at the top of his game,” O’Brien said, via MMQB. “He’s had a great training camp. I think he’ll be better than he was.”
That’s a scary proposition for those tasked with taking on Watt and the Texans this season. From 2012-15, Watt put up one of the best four-year runs for a defensive player in the history of the game. During that span, the Wisconsin product recorded 59 sacks, 41 passes defended, 15 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries.
Should Watt somehow find a way to improve off this, the Texans themselves will be in a great position in the AFC South. The team already boastsed one of the top defenses in the NFL without him last season, and could very well be atop the pack in 2017.