The NFL world is still reeling from news that star Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice this past Wednesday.
It ends what would have likely been a history-making rookie season for the former Clemson standout. It also has people questioning exactly what happened during practice.
Now, there’s even more uncertainty over Watson and when he suffered said injury.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and doctors he spoke with about the injury, there’s a chance Watson could have in fact tore his ACL last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I can’t be 100 percent sure,” one doctor said, via Schefter. “But I wouldn’t be surprised. Something happened as he grabbed his knee. And if you look at it in slow motion, one mechanism of injury is there.”
The play in question came when Seahawks pass rusher Frank Clark rolled up on Watson’s leg in the second half of the game.
https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/924767362045358080
As you can see there, Watson immediately grabbed his right knee. While he did remain in the game and failed to report any discomfort to the Texans, it’s obvious something happened there.
“Doctors also said it’s possible that the hit Watson took last Sunday affected the knee to the point that it made it ripe for the ACL to later be torn, though no one ever will be able to prove it,” Schefter noted.
For their part, the Texans still believe that Watson suffered the torn ACL in practice on Wednesday. It’s something we’re really never going to have an answer to. Maybe, the quarterback opens up about how his right knee felt after that hit. It could, at the very least, give us a better understanding of what happened there.
In any event, this does little to change the bottom line. Watson is out for the remainder of the season after putting up a tremendous rookie campaign. The Texans are now left with Tom Savage to man the quarterback position. It’s a no-good situation for everyone involved.