UPDATE: Texans J.J. Watt Placed on Injured Reserve

HOUSTON, TX -- J.J. Watt, the Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end,
re-injured his back last week and has been placed on injured reserve,
per team sources.

Watt, 27, the three time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has led the Texans in sacks in each of the last three years.

Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien confirmed during an afternoon press
conference that Watt had been placed on IR and would miss at least six
weeks.

"You can never replace the best player in the NFL," O'Brien said. "When someone like that goes down it's a tough thing."

O'Brien added that the team collectively has a lot of good players who are ready to step up and meet those challenges.

Watt, who had never missed a game since joining the Texans in 2011,
re-injured his back in the Sept 21 Thursday night game against the New
England Patriots, and will likely not see the field for at least six
weeks, if he returns at all this season.

The Texans resigned former Texans defensive end Antonio Smith, who
was part of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl winning defense last season.

Watt underwent a microdiscectomy in July to repair a herniated disc
and after missing all of training camp and the pre-season, came back for
the week one game against the Chicago Bears.

In his first three games, Watt added just 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits, a far cry from his typical production.

Watt could potentially return to the team in six weeks, but it more likely that Watt won’t be back until next season.

Meanwhile, the announcement of Watt’s injury brought mixed reviews from Texans fans.

"Yeah, I do think our defense needs him,” Texans fan Brian Adams told
KPRC. “Him being out, possibly for the season? I don't know how we'll
get through the season without J.J. Watt.”

Cornell Watts, who is a season ticket holder, said he is optimistic
the Texans will still field a stout defense and that the team will
figure it out.

"We went 4-0 in the preseason without him, he's definitely a big part
of our defense, but it’s next man up," Watts said. "Somebody has to
step up and make it happen."

O'Brien said Watt being on IR will give the best defensive player on
the team plenty of time to heal properly, to make sure he is 100 percent
healthy.

"This decision made by the organization, is what's best for J.J.'s
long term health, and that is what's most important us," he said. "There
is nothing more important than the health of a player."

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