J.J. Watt made a familiar stop at Texans practice Monday morning, taking in Houston’s final workout before the team heads to Charlotte later this week.
Watt is in town as he gets ready for the upcoming NFL season, where he’ll be part of CBS’ top broadcast team with Houston native and broadcasting mainstay Jim Nantz. But before that work kicks in, he spent time around the team he knows so well, watching most of practice from the sideline.
The former Texans star has stayed plugged into what DeMeco Ryans has built in Houston, and he’s clearly impressed by where the franchise sits as Ryans enters his fourth season as head coach. Watt said the Texans deserve credit for how far they’ve come under Ryans.
“You have to remember where this organization was before he took over,” said Watt. “You want to take those next steps but you can’t forget to appreciate what he has built which is a culture and an identity and persona for this team and it’s something to be proud of.”
Watt was just as bullish on the defense, which finished No. 1 in the NFL last season. With the key pieces back in 2026, he sees a unit that can keep pushing higher and help Houston get into the Super Bowl conversation.
“They should be putting themselves in that conversation there’s a reason for it and we’ve seen it,” said Watt Monday. “You get a couple of things cleaned up in the last year or so in playoff games.
The defense is incredible to watch. How do you even get quality work done against a defense like that.
I’m a defensive guy so I like those conversations.
He singled out Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter as a pairing with plenty more room to grow. Watt said Anderson has the kind of mental and emotional tools that can keep driving his game forward.
“He has every single tool in the tool box mentally and emotionally and the sky is the limit for Will,” said Watt. “I have zero doubts he’ll continue to raise the bar for what’s possible for him.”
Watt also pointed to the finer points Anderson is now chasing, saying the next step is about the details that separate great rushers from dominant ones.
“He’s getting into the territory of the tiny details of the game and knowing tendencies and studying and knowing every player he goes against and how he can defeat that. He has everything else it’s not like you need to continue to add strength, speed and sight because he has it. He can learn from Danielle who is a hall of famer and deserves more credit than he gets.”
And for Watt, the pass rush picture gets even more intriguing with Jadeveon Clowney in the mix alongside Anderson and Hunter.
“When you have guys like Will and Danielle on the edges and you add JD (Clowney). It’s amazing at the weapons at the disposal of Matt Burke.”
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For a Texans front trying to build out reliable rotation pieces, Horton had been part of the mix as camp got underway. Losing him this early only tightens the margins up front and leaves the team with another spot to rework before the regular season picture starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
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The ripple effect could be felt by Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Nico Collins and possibly Tank Dell, all of whom stand to benefit from a larger share of the snaps and targets. How much each player gains will depend on how the Texans sort out their pecking order, but Higgins absence creates a real opening up wide and gives Houston another roster battle worth tracking as camp and the season move forward. [Read more 🡒]