Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson was on his way to breaking all the rookie quarterback records in the NFL. Then, in the blink of an eye, an ACL injury derailed his campaign on a non-contact play Thursday that sent ripples across the league.
One of the thoughts that inevitably crossed many minds upon hearing the news of his temporary demise was, “Will Watson ever be the same again?”
While we can logically work through that with the realization that ACL injuries don’t derail careers like they used to in days past, other players recently have rebounded from knee injuries without the same success they initially had. Players like Robert Griffin III immediately spring to mind.
One person who’s not worried about whether Watson will make a full recovery to wow us all again on the field is his old coach. Dabo Swinney had Watson at Clemson from 2014 to early 2017, and he’s convinced the rookie signal caller will rebound without skipping a beat.
In comments distributed by the Clemson program (h/t College Football Talk), Swinney said he spoke with Watson and “we are disappointed.” He also noted that Watson has had setbacks in his life and “always comes back stronger.”
Swinney also noted the silver lining.
“At least this happened in the middle of the season and he has had the opportunity to show what he can do. I see today he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. It would have been so much worse if it happened in training camp. This is so similar to the 2014 season, his freshman year at Clemson. In his first career start against North Carolina, he threw a school record six touchdown passes, then he had four more (two rushing and two passing) the next week against NC State. Then he suffered an injury during the Georgia Tech game. Now he leads the NFL in touchdown passes and this happens.”
The Clemson head coach then went on to say, “All he did after the injury in 2014 was come back and lead us to the National Championship game twice and of course we won it last year.”
In conclusion, Swinney said, “I have not doubt he will come back from this. He has the resolve. His work ethic and drive are incredible.”
Another person who is completely in Watson’s corner is Odell Beckham Jr., who was also lost for the season with an ankle injury. He sent out a message of support to Watson on Thursday night.
Message to Deshaun Watson from Odell Beckham Jr, texted to @JosinaAnderson: pic.twitter.com/Ew7v00M5zm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2017
Given the fact that ACL injuries typically take anywhere from six-to-nine months for players to fully rehabilitate, Watson should be ready to go for the regular season in 2018. We cannot wait to see him take the field once again and wish him well as he recovers from this very frustrating setback.