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Houston Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt has been steadily making progress in his recovery from a broken leg that has seen him possibly be on track to be on the field to begin the 2018 campaign.
However, head coach Bill O'Brien is still on the fence in whether Watt will be on the field in any capacity during the preseason in preparation for making his return for next season, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Football Talk.
“We’ll see,” O’Brien said. “We’ll see how it goes. We’ll see how the reps go in practice. That’s what it depends on. Preseason, a lot of it has to do with the reps in practice. There’s a lot more that goes into it nowadays than even 10 years ago.”
The primary motive for the Texans to have Watt completely healthy and ready to go for the 2018 season as he has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons playing only eight games. The team wants to avoid the possibility of him being hampered in any manner before the start of the regular season and don't want to put him on the field before he's physically ready to do so.
When healthy, Watt has proven to be a game-changing factor as arguably the best defensive player in the league that anchors their defensive front. It has been his nagging injuries that have taken him off the field and impressive pace as he has proven to be one of the pass rushers that the league has ever seen.
These comments from O'Brien don't sound overly optimistic that he will be on the field to begin preseason action, but there are four games where he could take the field. It is still a fluid situation with the end goal being to have him back in the fold by Week 1 of the regular season.
