Texans Put DE J.J. Watt On Injured Reserve (Back)

J.J. Watt will need to wait until next season to make a legitimate run at an unprecedented fourth NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

Texans Put DE J.J. Watt On Injured Reserve (Back)

The defensive end re-injured his back during the Houston Texans’ 27-0 loss to the New England Patriots last Thursday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday, according to several sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

The Texans also announced they re-signed veteran defensive end Antonio Smith for depth.

Watt could potentially miss the remainder of the season, according to Rapoport. Houston announced Wednesday they placed Watt on injured reserve. Coach Bill O’Brien told reporters he has no idea if his player will need to undergo surgery.

The 27-year-old star missed the entire preseason after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in late July, and is now seeking a second opinion, per ESPN’s Ed Werder. 

“We’re looking forward to the challenge ahead,” O’Brien said. “Obviously, we all feel bad for him.”

Watt has never missed a game in his six-year career, although he has suffered major injuries two of the last four times he has started. He has played in 83 straight regular-season games.

Early Thursday afternoon, the defensive end posted a message to fans on Twitter, saying he “will be back” despite his injury.

“I haven’t missed a game since my sophomore year of high school,” Watt said in the post. “This won’t be fun, but it is necessary in order for me to return to 100% and play at the level that I am capable of playing at.

“Everybody deals with adversity in their lives, many much worse than what I’m going through. I have great people around me, and I appreciate the thoughts and well wishes from all of you. I am looking forward to the fight back to the top and to the next time that I can step back on that field with my brothers to play the game that I love. You are the best fans in the world and I promise to continue to do everything in my power to make you proud.”

Watt will miss at least eight weeks, which means he could be back in action Nov. 27 against the San Diego Chargers. However, a team source told Werder that “I do believe that he will miss the season, but with the new rule this year, if he were to be ready in December, he could come off IR. Long shot.”

Watt also recently revealed that he questioned whether he would play again after tearing several abdominal muscles off the bone in the Texans’ playoff loss to the Chiefs last January. Aggravating his back injury last week, Watt managed less than three tackles and zero quarterback hits for the first time since his rookie year in 2011.

Despite losing Watt, the Texans (2-1) have started the season well defensively. Backed by the linebacking quartet of Jadeveon Clowney, John Simon, Whitney Mercilus and Benardrick McKinney, Houston’s pass rush was the strongest in the NFL in Weeks 1 and 2.

Watt has recorded more sacks per game (0.92) than any player since the statistic was first instituted in 1982.

Smith played for the Texans from 2009-2013, registering 27 of his 47 career sacks with the team.

HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 09: J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans warms up before playing against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at NRG Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)