Houston Texans: Can Deshaun Watson, JJ Watt return healthy?

Most NFL seasons depend heavily on health, or a lack thereof, but the Houston Texans are not most teams. Their 2018 season hinges on the healthy returns of Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and D’Onta Foreman. Can all three return to form?

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the Houston Texans.

Houston is in an interesting spot. It is coming off of a terrible season and didn’t even have its own first-round draft pick to counteract the failures. And yet, thanks to the selection of Deshaun Watson in 2017, all feels well. But their upcoming season depends heavily on two things and the returning health of their former star players is likely most critical. Will they all come back healthy?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Houston Texans in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

In actuality, the entirety of the Texans’ upcoming season would appear to hinge on two huge factors. One is the returning good health of injured players. Watson is one to watch; J.J. Watt is 1A. Running back D’Onta Foreman is also returning from a serious injury. The trio could make or break Houston’s season. Watson’s importance is self-explanatory. So is Watt’s. He has to get back on the field to regain his title as best defensive player in the league from Aaron Donald if nothing else.

Foreman’s successful rookie year was cut short by an Achilles injury. Despite the existence of Lamar Miller, Foreman could be the back in store for the most work in 2018. And that attack would greatly compliment Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. Add in a vital healthy season from new acquisition Tyrann Mathieu, and it all comes back to health.

The second factor that will determine Houston’s ceiling is its offensive line. The unit has undergone major turnover in recent years, and according to Pro Football Focus, it finished last year as the worst unit in the sport. Yes, worse than Seattle and the New York Giants, the two groups most often cited as default worst offensive lines. That is quite a declaration.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Can that change this season? The Texans spent much draft capital on trying to improve it, including taking Martinas Rankin in the third round and adding numerous undrafted linemen in free agency. I doubt that will be enough, but maybe a healthy Watson will be. With him behind center, a leaky offensive line isn’t as big of a problem as it would be otherwise. Of course, he would perform better without constant pressure, but there is a reason this team earned the fourth overall pick in the draft that went to Cleveland.

It just seems like Houston has way more talent and potential than any fourth-worst team rightly should. That is what happens when we, as fans, undervalue health and availability as skills. It is so easy to picture the bounce back for this franchise. Yet a vote of confidence in the Texans will look utterly ridiculous if their best players remain on the sidelines. I imagine there will be lots of buzz surrounding this roster in the summer months, and I can’t decide whether it will be deserved. Is there any bigger death sentence to NFL success than injury concerns and a bad offensive line?

Dan Salem:

The success or failure of a team’s offensive line is pretty much the epitome of good or bad offense. Great quarterbacks can overcome weak lines, as can great running backs. But their ability to do so is limited and often a blip in time as compared to the season long implications of having a bad line. Let’s assume the Houston Texans will have an average offensive line this season. Despite being worst in 2017, the offseason changes should help. I will assume that improvement makes the unit average, just to play it safe for argument’s sake.

Unless Houston’s three best weapons are healthy, an average offensive line will yield a similar result to the NFL worst line of a season ago. The Texans are not going to be good without a healthy Watson and Foreman. They also need Watt back, if for no other reason than he is the face of the franchise and the defensive quarterback. They don’t need him at his old level of best defender in the league. Houston simply needs Watt on the field.

I’m nervous for the Texans, because the track record for young quarterbacks returning from a devastating injury to be as great as they were prior is about 50/50. Andrew Luck has successfully returned, only to be plagued by the recurring nature of his injury. Robert Griffin III never was able to be the player he was prior to injury.

It’s easier for veterans to flex their style and find new ways to be successful. Tom Brady did it after his knee injury. Ben Roethlisberger has come back multiple times and we are about to see how well Aaron Rodgers returns this season. The point is that pocket passers have a better chance at coming back to be the player they were, as do veterans who are accustomed to changing their game. Watson has a lot of work to do.

If I had to make a guess, I’d say Watson comes back very strong. He seems like a smart player who can adjust to protect himself from another injury and learn to play great under any limitations that may exist post injury. Foreman is probably the biggest question mark to Houston’s 2018 success.

More AFC: Broncos Had Great Offseason For Last Place Team

Its pretty easy for the Texans to be better this season. They nose dived after Watson went out and were the 4th worst team in the NFL. Improving upon that is almost a guarantee, but not if they don’t have a strong running game. Watson needs balance within his offense, because he’s still in his “rookie” season. He needs a running game to fall back on and take the pressure off his own performance. Its what makes or breaks rookie quarterbacks, and that is what Watson will be on the field, despite having a lot of time in the classroom and on the practice field.

Home/Houston Texans