Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has undergone back surgery, sources told ESPN on Thursday, in what was the second surgery in six months for the reigning National Football League defensive player of the year.
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J.J. Watt has endured a number of injuries and hasn’t missed a game yet.
Information from ESPN’s Tania Ganguli was used in this report. He had a procedure in January to fix his core-area muscles and played through a broken hand and herniated disk last season.
Even amid that turmoil, Watt won his third defensive player of the year award for his 17.5-sack 2015 season.
Although the latest update on Watt’s health isn’t encouraging, he’s a gamer who could be ready to roll by Week 1. Three of those touchdowns came as a receiver in 2014, when the Texans would line him up in the redzone. Houston is coming off back-to-back 9-7 seasons and signed what it hopes is its franchise quarterback, locking up former Broncos QB Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract.
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Should Watt not be available for week one against the Bears, the Texans may have to rely on former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney to bring a pass rushing threat on the outside.
