Last season, the Houston Texans saw a franchise quarterback emerge in the form of rookie Deshaun Watson. Once Watson was given his opportunity as a starter, the Clemson product showed what he could do on the NFL level by shattering rookie records and being a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Unfortunately, Watson went down with a torn ACL injury in practice and missed the rest of the 2017 campaign after playing in seven games. The injury led to questions as to whether Watson should change up his style of play, but he maintains that won't be happening, via ESPN's Sarah Barshop.
“My game's not changing,” Watson said. “Whatever you [saw] last year is going to be the same, if not better. I've dealt with adversity before, had injuries before. I didn't let that slow me down. It just changed my attitude about the game.
“A lot of people would think that I'd come back hesitant, but I'm going to make sure I come back more forceful and with a stronger and more intense attitude.”
Watson is expected to come back healthy and ready to go for Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season opener for the Texans. If Watson is able to continue playing his style, which was so successful last year, the Texans will be a serious force to be reckoned with offensively as well as defensively after the addition of All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu.
During his rookie season, Watson put up some incredible numbers in only seven games and six starts. The 22-year-old threw for 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions with a completion percentage of 61.8. The first-year quarterbacks also made an impact on the ground with 269 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries.
It remains to be seen whether Watson's style will end up putting him in danger of being an injury-prone quarterback. One thing is for sure as he looks forward to his sophomore season, he's as confident as ever and has every right to be after what he showed last year when given the opportunity in Houston.
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