The 2017 season was very disappointing for J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans. But there is a Mithril lining to be found, which is that rookie Deshaun Watson is clearly the answer at quarterback, both in the short term and as far as the eye can see.
Watt, speaking to media Monday after the team’s final game Sunday, talked about how excited he is for the future with Watson at the helm. He thinks the Texans can win a Super Bowl now that they have a franchise quarterback to build around.
.@JJWatt believes the #Texans can win a Super Bowl with @deshaunwatson: "I'm definitely excited to have a franchise quarterback." pic.twitter.com/40Z4UuxMZn
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) January 1, 2018
“We’ve won two division titles here with like 15 different quarterbacks, so if we’ve got one quarterback who’s back there and can play the way he plays — who has the potential and who has the ability he has — of course,” Watt said. “I think he has great potential and really excited to see what he can do with a full season and, yeah, I’m definitely excited to have a franchise quarterback.”
Watt’s points are well made. It’s pretty remarkable how explosive Houston’s offense became when Watson took over for Tom Savage in Week 1. Until the rookie tore his ACL, Houston’s offense was the highest-scoring in the league. Both DeAndre Hopkins and receiver Will Fuller were nightmares for opposing defenses to cover. Fuller in particular was the most dangerous weapon in the NFL for a period of time.
If the Texans can bolster their offensive line and stay healthy on both sides of the ball, there’s no doubt this team has the talent to become a perennial threat. Winning a Super Bowl takes a lot more than talent, but the pieces are in place for the Texans to be good for a long time.