Texans QB Deshaun Watson: 'My game's not changing' after ACL recovery

HOUSTON -- Although he is coming off a torn right ACL, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said his game will not change going forward.

Watson lit up the NFL in 2017 by throwing for 19 touchdowns in six starts before he tore his ACL in practice in November. Much of his success came while using his legs to extend plays, sometimes out of necessity because of the Texans' offensive line. Watson made plays after the pocket collapsed and ran for 269 yards on 36 carries for two touchdowns in seven games last season.

"My game's not changing," Watson said. "Whatever you [saw] last year is going to be the same, if not better. I've dealt with adversity before, had injuries before. I didn't let that slow me down. It just changed my attitude about the game.

"A lot of people would think that I'd come back hesitant, but I'm going to make sure I come back more forceful and with a stronger and more intense attitude."

Last month at the NFL owners meetings, Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said he is confident in Watson's instincts to protect himself while he extends plays.

"He has a really good instinct for maybe gaining the 5 or 6 yards and then going down before he takes the shot," O'Brien said. "That's a big thing that young quarterbacks usually have a problem with. He seems to have an instinct for being able to stay out of harm's way."

O'Brien came into OTAs with a retooled playbook that will focus on Watson's strengths, something the young quarterback said he's excited to dive further into.

"We were very simple last year," Watson said. "With me being in the system for a whole year and having the offseason, there's a lot more that we can do with the offense than we did last year."

Watson said he's taking it one day at a time and doesn't know to what extent he'll be able to participate in the team's offseason training program, which began Monday.