Torn pectorals are not an uncommon injury for defensive linemen and pass rushers. Being that the chest is integral to upper body strength while beating blocks, one bad twist, turn or flex can end one’s season.
For Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the injury ended his season on Oct. 27 against the Oakland Raiders, until it didn’t. Surprisingly he returned to practice on Tuesday. He is expected to play in the postseason after recovering from the injury in two months, beating the expected recovery by one to two months.
Watt employed the help of one former and one current teammate to aid his recovery. He talked to former Texans — and current Dallas Cowboys — defensive end Christian Covington and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus about it.
“I talked to him (Whitney Mercilus) a little bit early on about it,” Watt said on Tuesday. “I talked to Cov (Christian Covington) about it, Cov was here last year. I’ve talked to a couple of guys about it and just their experience and just doing whatever I can. That’s all it’s been the last two months. ‘Whatever I’m allowed to do.’ Whatever the doctors and training staff have said I can do, that’s what I’ve done.”
Covington has not torn his pectoral. However, he has suffered a devastating season-ending, upper-body injury. On Oct. 30, 2017, in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he sustained a torn bicep, marking the end of a promising year.
Mercilus suffered a torn pectoral earlier in the same season. He did so on Oct. 9, 2017, in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The outside linebacker did not return, sustaining an ailment that saw his muscle come off the bone.
Unlike both Covington and Mercilus, Watt is back. His recovery time is improbable. However, that didn’t stop him from blowing away expectations, partly thanks to a pair of teammates, former and current.