Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was named to the NFL 2010 All-Decade Team on Monday.
The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is the only active member of the Texans to land on the list.
Watt notched 20.5 sacks two times in his career, 2012 and 2014 and led the NFL in the statistic in 2012 and 2015. In addition to earning three defensive player of the year honors, Watt also collected five first-team All-Pros along with five Pro Bowl selections.
The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin had his 2016 season limited to three games with a herniated disc and his 2017 season curtailed to five games with a fractured tibial plateau. In 2018, Watt returned for a full 16-game slate and made All-Pro, but a torn pectoral in Week 8 of 2019 knocked him out of the rest of the regular season. Watt returned for the playoffs and helped Houston to a 22-19 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card at NRG Stadium.
“That’s why you do it,” Watt said on Jan. 4. “That’s why you take the risk. That’s why you put in the work. That’s why you do the rehab. That’s why you do all of it. For those moments, to be out there with the guys, to be a part of the team, to try and help the team win, to try and bring that spark.”
Watt was one of eight players who were voted unanimously to the list. The other seven players were quarterback Tom Brady, running back Adrian Peterson, guard Marshal Yanda, left tackle Joe Thomas, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, outside linebacker Von Miller, and kicker Justin Tucker.
The only other player on the list who was with the Texans at one time was Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, who played his 2018 season in Houston. Mathieu had spent 2013-17 playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
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