J.J. Watt is back. Two months after tearing his pectoral against the Oakland Raiders, the Houston Texans defensive end is recovered and ready to rock and all. He returned to practice on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.
In coming back from the injury, Watt has defied all expectations. Often, the recovery time for a torn pectoral lasts three to four months. Not for Watt.
Though back from the often season-ending injury, Watt will not be without accessories. He will wear a harness that will stop him from going an extreme length backward, but it will not hinder his normal range of motion.
“Yeah, I’ll have some protection on it just to protect me from going to the true extreme lengths backwards, but I’ll have full forward and upward motion available,” Watt said on Tuesday. “I’ve been wearing the harness for the last couple of weeks while I’ve been training and practicing and practicing off on my own so it doesn’t really bother me at all.”
The harness Watt will don is in-place to prevent re-injury, which is likelier to happen considering how quickly he is set to play. When he was injured making a tackle on Raiders tailback Josh Jacobs, his arm went all the way back. The harness will stop that.
Watt wears a bulky brace on his left elbow. He suffered an elbow dislocation in August of 2012.
Though now protected from re-injury, Watt will not play in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans. A player on the injured reserve has to miss at least eight games. The Texans star defensive end missed seven. His return will probably take place in the first round of the playoffs.
Watt will give the Texans a massive boost in the pass rush department. Before the injury, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year recorded four sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 24 quarterback pressures.