Watt making progress in rehab from surgery

Defensive end J.J. Watt is making steady progress as he recuperates from back surgery to repair a herniated disk, coach Bill O’Brien said.

There are scenarios where the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year might not be ready for the start of the season and could miss a game or two, but the Texans haven’t ruled out the possibility Watt could return in time for their season opener against the Bears on Sept. 11.

Watt acknowledged at the start of camp he’s not a lock for the first game. Watt has never missed a game in the NFL.

“J.J. Watt obviously will not be back this week, but he’s making a lot of progress in his rehab,” O’Brien said of Watt, who’s working out on a specialized treadmill after having the stitches from the surgery removed. “I just don’t think anybody can predict when J.J. will be back. I would say, knowing J.J. the way I do, that he’ll be back sooner rather than later. It’s progressing really well. He’s been able to do some things on the Ultra-G treadmill, which is a really good sign.

“As you guys would expect, J.J. is really wanting to do a lot more and doing a good job of following the doctors’ orders. We feel good about where he’s at relative to the beginning of the season.”

Watt has played in 80 consecutive games, an impressive durability streak entering his sixth NFL season.