Texans place J.J. Watt on IR, sidelining him for at least 8 weeks
The Houston Texans will be without their best defensive player for at least eight weeks, if not more. The team announced Wednesday that it has officially placed J.J. Watt on injured reserve due to a back injury, which he re-injured Tuesday. In his place, the Texans have signed defensive end Antonio Smith.
OFFICIAL: The Texans have placed DE J.J. Watt on Reserve/Injured.
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 28, 2016
?: https://t.co/IyXCYqFkM2 pic.twitter.com/ureXPgYoDw
Watt was coming off of back surgery, which he underwent in the offseason. Being the physical freak that he is, Watt returned sooner than expected, but that may have cost him his 2016 season. The setback could potentially keep him out for the rest of the year, should the Texans elect not to activate him after eight weeks.
The 27-year-old pass rusher is eligible to return to practice in six weeks, but it’s highly unlikely he will see the field again in 2016. Back injuries have to be taken very seriously. Not to mention, he was noticeably ineffective and uncomfortable in last week’s game against the Patriots, so it’s clear he wasn’t fully healthy.
Smith, 34, played for the Super Bowl-winning Broncos last season, recording 2 1/2 sacks in 16 games. He'll join Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney as the team's edge rushers.
