Texans place star DE JJ Watt on injured reserve

The Houston Texans placed star defensive end J.J. Watt on injured reserve Wednesday and his return this season is in doubt.

Coach Bill O’Brien said Watt had re-injured his back and putting him on IR was the best thing for his long-term health. The team was still exploring the injury and it’s unclear if it will require surgery. Watt is not expected back before December, if at all.

Watt, who has won Defensive Player of the Year for the past two seasons, missed training camp and Houston’s four preseason games after surgery in July to repair a herniated disk in his back. He started each of the team’s three regular-season games and got hurt again Thursday against the Patriots.

Watt tweeted a statement that did not provide details on his injury. It began with: “Adversity sucks. Your attitude towards it doesn’t have to. I will be back.”

“This won’t be fun, but it is necessary in order for me to return to 100 percent and play at the level that I am capable of playing at,” the post said.