The Arizona Cardinals represented a fresh start for J.J. Watt after the Houston Texans released him in the offseason. The Texans were in a rebuilding mode and Watt wanted to play for a contender.
Watt did help the Cardinals to a 7-0 record to start the year, but that may be as far as his fresh start goes.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Watt will undergo shoulder surgery which will possibly end his season early. There is no timetable for when the surgery is to take place.
Watt injured his shoulder in the second quarter of Week 7’s 31-5 win over Houston. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year finished with a combined tackle, tackle for loss, and quarterback hit.
Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly told reporters on Oct. 20 ahead of the matchup that Watt was very productive for the Cardinals’ defense, despite having just 1.0 sack on the season.
“He’s still very disruptive,” said Kelly. “You still see all things he did when he was here. He’s playing at a high level. They are moving him around. He’s playing inside. He’s playing outside. Looks like he’s kind of picking his spots to the particular matchup he may want. But he’s playing at a high level.”
2021 will mark the third season since 2016 that Watt has not played all 16 games. In 2019, although he tore his pectoral muscle in Week 8 and was done for the regular season, Watt managed to come back and play for Houston during their two-game playoff run. The Texans beat the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in overtime with Watt sacking Josh Allen.