Texans expect healthy J.J. Watt to be at full speed for opener

HOUSTON -- Texans defensive end J.J. Watt knows there are questions about his health as he enters the 2018 season.

But the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who has played in just eight games over the past two seasons, said he's not worried about what other people are saying about him.

"I've realized there's people that doubt the best players in the history of the game. I'm sure there's people that doubt Tom [Brady], which, he's the best quarterback of all time. I've learned that peoples' opinion doesn't really matter," Watt said. "I'm very excited. I'm sure there are a lot of people who are cautiously optimistic. Obviously the last two years we've said the same thing. So, I'm just looking forward to going out there and playing football, letting it loose, having fun and letting the chips fall where they may.

"It's been a long road. It's been a grind. It's been a lot of ups and downs over the last couple of years."

Watt played in three games in 2016 before reaggravating a back injury and needing season-ending back surgery. Last season, Watt broke his leg in the Texans' Week 5 loss to the Chiefs. He was limited in the Texans' OTAs this spring but was consistently available during training camp and now practices as the team gets ready for the regular season.

Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said he's hopeful that Watt won't be limited on Sunday against the Patriots, but it's hard to know before he plays in a real game.

"Right now he's been doing OK in practice, so he should be there," Crennel said.

Along with Watt, the Texans are expected to have a healthy Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus in the front seven, a unit that could be one of the best in the league if the group can stay healthy for a whole season for the first time since the Texans drafted Clowney in 2014.

"Only time will tell how good they'll be," Crennel said. "You've got some guys coming off injury and you don't know how they're going to recover. And until you get them into the game and [they] take some hits and they have to plant and make sharp turns and all of those kinds of things, you don't know if they're really back. And I don't think they really know if they're back.

"But once they get out into the game and play at the game speed, they find out if they're back and what they're capable of doing and then we'll know what kind of players we've got."