Houston Texans: 2017-2018 is the year of J.J Watt and Jadeveon Clowney
The Houston Texans were without their franchise player for the majority of last year. J.J. Watt played in only three games before being shut down for the remainder of the 2016-2017 season, having to undergo back surgery for the second time within a three month span. All reports are that Watt is back and healthy for the 2017-2018 year.
And if that’s the case, the Houston Texans may finally have what they’ve been waiting for since 2014 when they drafted Jadeveon Clowney number one overall out of South Carolina. A full 16 games with Watt and Clowney lined up opposite a terrified and soon to be bruised and battered quarterback.
This is what the Texans were envisioning back in 2014 when they selected Clowney with the number one overall draft choice. It’s yet to have happened though due to injuries at various times to both Clowney and Watt.
In Clowney’s regular season debut in 2014, he suffered a torn meniscus that would require microfracture surgery, causing him to miss the remainder of 2014 and the beginning of the 2015 season as he underwent a lengthy and intense rehabilitation program.
2015 was his true rookie year as he played in 13 games and started nine of them. While he wasn’t a pro-bowler, there were positive signs in his play that he was well on his way. And last year he made that extra step, recording 52 tackles (16 of which were tackles for a loss) and six sacks in 14 starts, earning him his first pro bowl selection.
The only problem is that Watt was on the sideline a majority of last year. In 2014 while Clowney was recovering from his season ending injury, JJ Watt was having what was arguably the best year of his career, recording his second 20 sack season (The only player in NFL history to do that) and scoring a touchdown via fumble, interception, and receiving at tight end.
2015 was the closest thing we saw to the tandem being at full strength, but Clowney was basically a rookie in that year still learning the ropes and slowly bringing himself back from his torn meniscus injury. This year however, he is expected to be out there starting every game and getting only better as he is now in his third season of on-field play.
If Watt remains healthy and returns to the level of play he is capable of, honestly even 80 percent of what he’s capable of, and Clowney improves on his first pro-bowl season like we all expect him to, this team will be disastrous to the health of quarterbacks league wide.
The flexibility of Clowney to play anywhere on the defensive side of the ball with the pure power of Watt coming off the end will be an unstoppable force that no team will want to contend with. And if that pass rush becomes all it can be with those two at the helm, it should certainly help the secondary get their turnover numbers up after the losses of safety Quintin Demps and corner back A.J. Bouye.
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The Texans turnover rate is what will be helped most by full seasons from Watt and Clowney. Whether it’s forcing fumbles or pressuring quarterbacks to rush their passes leading to errant throws into the hands of our waiting secondary, Clowney and Watt will make the rest of the team better because that’s how good they are defensively.
Last year the Texans forced only 17 turnovers and posted a minus seven turnover differential. In 2015 they had 25 turnovers and a plus five turnover differential. With an improved Clowney and a healthy Watt we can expect something closer to 2015 once again.
If both players can make it to 16 games, heck I’d even take 14 healthy starts with those two on the field, the Texans should be all but guaranteed a playoff spot and the division title. The Indianapolis Colts still have Andrew Luck. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense has improved, including the addition of the aforementioned A.J. Bouye to their secondary. The Tennessee Titans have Marcus Mariota possibly taking another step forward in his development in his third professional season.
Next: Team has uphill battle to overcome losses in secondary
But the best weapons in the AFC south if they play a full year together have to be Watt and Clowney. 2017-2018 is a season that the Texans front office has been waiting for since they drafted Clowney number one overall in 2014. This will be the year their vision comes to fruition and their patience pays off.