The Houston Texans got some distressing injury news when J.J. Watt, perhaps the team’s best defensive player now, dislocated his elbow at training camp on Thursday. Watt had to leave practice and joins fellow stars Andre Johnson and left tackle Duane Brown on the injured list.
Watt exploded on to the scene as a rookie in 2011. Many questioned the selection of Watt for the Texans considering they needed help at the back end of their defense, but Watt set out to prove his doubters wrong and dominated in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 scheme. His combination of brute strength and elite quickness makes him a terror on the outside.
He had 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a rookie, and with Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans out the door, Watt figures to be both the leader and best player in that front seven.
If he can come back from this setback, that is.
In the mean time, Tim Jamison and Ra’Shon Harris will look to fill the void left by Watt. Having attended Texans training camp last year, I remember being very impressed by Jamison and what he brings to the table. If Watt should miss any time, it would hurt, but Jamison should be able to hold the fort.
Watt is a special talent that the Texans will need for them to have any chance of contending for a Super Bowl, but this will give them a chance to find out the talent they have behind Watt as those guys will be working with the first team defense. More importantly, going up against the first team offense will give the backups valuable experience.
Jeff is an NFL Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. He contributes mainly to the New York Giants and NFL Rumors pages. He also will occasionally touch on the NBA and humorous videos involving all sports.
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