Houston Texans: Temper the Deshaun Watson hype in return
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will be back for 2018, but everyone needs to take a second and cool it with the hype.
Despite critics picking him apart heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, Deshaun Watson made the Houston Texans look wise for trading up in the first round to select him once he took the field. Though Tom Savage should’ve never been given the job ahead of him, Watson didn’t let that deter him from setting the league on fire once the reins of the Texans offense were handed to him.
In seven games as a rookie (six starts), Watson put up some absurd numbers. He threw for 1,699 yards and an incredible 19 touchdowns, adding two rushing touchdowns and 269 rushing yards as well. He was scoring at a record-breaking clip and Houston, who went 3-3 with Watson starting, seemed like a team no one wanted to face.
Of course, that was derailed as Watson suffered a torn ACL following a non-contact injury in practice. Without their rising star under center — and with a plethora of other injuries — the Texans struggled to compete on a weekly basis. But with Watson on track to return in 2018, in addition to J.J. Watt, the hype train is beginning to roll. Perhaps the brakes should be pumped just a tad though.
No one can discredit what Watson was able to accomplish in his time on the field as a rookie. At the same time, it’d be foolish to think that the numbers he put up were sustainable. He was on pace to throw 43 touchdowns in a full 16-game season and total 47 or more touchdowns overall when factoring in his rushing. What’s more, his success rate on deep passes was absurd compared to league average.
It should be said, tempering expectations for Watson upon his return has nothing to do with his recovery and/or injury. He has proven to have the work-ethic and mental make-up to overcome those things and come back just as effective as before. What’s more, this isn’t about Watson’s long-term future. He very much seems destined to be one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
However, there seems to be some that imagine Watson picking back up right where he left off before the injury as a rookie, despite how lofty his pace was. As he comes back though, NFL defensive coordinators now have tape on him, which makes his job as a quarterback more difficult. What’s more, you can’t discredit the fact that he also threw eight interceptions in his seven games played and completed 61.8 percent of his throws.
Furthermore, the Texans truthfully didn’t do Watson many favors in regards to his offensive line. They were abysmal last season and there aren’t many notable improvements that have been made. That too makes the second-year signal-caller’s job more difficult.
Next: NFL 2018: One breakout candidate for each team
A healthy Texans team has the chance to compete in the AFC South, and Watson is no doubt a part of that. He could well come in and continue to establish himself as an elite player in this league. But when you look at last season, he was putting up near MVP-level type numbers. Anyone expecting that needs to take a deep breath and cool it down just a bit.