Houston Texans star defensive tackle JJ Watt was thought to be done for the season when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Oakland Raiders in Week 8.

Instead, the Texans announced on Tuesday that they are activating JJ Watt ahead of their wild card matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Bradley Roby spoke on Watt's return, including a speech he made at practice last week (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle):

“I’m glad to have him back for sure,” Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil said. “You should have heard that speech he said at practice. It kind of gave us chills. It was a good speech. It’s great to have a leader like J.J. Watt back. Let’s go.”

“I think activating J.J. is huge, mentally, spiritually, for sure,” Texans cornerback Bradley Roby said. “He's a big part of this city, on and off the field. He's a leader for this team. I think his mere presence out there will affect the game in a great way.

JJ Watt has always been the fiery leader in Houston's locker room since he burst onto the scene in 2012.

The five-time All-Pro selection was having a solid season prior to the injury. JJ Watt got shut out in Week 1 and registered just one quarterback hit in Week 2, but he responded with four sacks, a forced fumble and 13 quarterback hits over the course of the next three weeks.

JJ Watt has bounced back from injury time and again throughout his career. Can his inspiration lead the Texans to a deep playoff run? Time will tell, but his teammates acknowledge his impact all the same.

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