Defense knows what to do without Watt
Players have been down this road before of doing ‘a little bit more’
The shock has subsided days after Texans defensive end J.J. Watt suffered a gruesome fractured leg when his left knee buckled awkwardly underneath him Sunday night.
While the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is beginning the long, painful steps of rehabilitation after undergoing surgery to repair the damage, his teammates are facing the difficult task of replacing Watt in the lineup.
The Texans have grown accustomed to playing without Watt over the past two seasons, preparing them for this latest absence.
A year ago, Watt was limited to three games when he underwent his second back surgery for a herniated disk. Now, he’s out again as he and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (torn pectoral) were officially placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Instead of having to adjust on the fly when the Pro Bowl pass rusher got hurt, as they did during Sunday’s 42-34 loss to the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans have a week to adapt as they prepare to host the winless Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium.
“I think we will do good,” Texans defensive lineman Brandon Dunn said. “We’ve been through this situation before. I hate to say that, but, once you’ve been in a situation before, it’s always easier. Everybody isn’t like, ‘Wow, what are we going to do next?’
“Everybody here is a pro. We all know what No. 99 brought to the table. We have to fill the void, and everybody has to do a little bit more.”
It falls on Clowney
The primary replacement for Watt likely will be Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is capable of lining up with his hand on the ground in a threepoint stance as an end or standing up in a two-point stance as an outside linebacker. Although a lot of the burden for replacing Watt will fall on Clowney’s shoulders, it will be a group effort.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien was encouraged by how the team has reacted.
“Absolutely, it was a very good response,” he said. “We had really good focus in the meetings, had really one of our better Wednesday practices. It’s unfortunate, you feel for the guys when they get injured. The train keeps moving. It’s not going to be one guy that takes their spot.
“It’s going to be multiple guys, it’s going to be schematic. It’s going to be a unified effort to make up for the loss of them, but it’s definitely something that you have to move forward with.”
Between nose tackle D.J. Reader and ends Joel Heath and Christian Covington and Clowney, the Texans should be able to line up capably without Watt.
What will be missed, though, is Watt’s gamechanging presence. Although Watt hadn’t recorded a sack this year in five games, he had 11 tackles, three for losses and five quarterback hits.
Clowney leads the Texans with three sacks, six tackles for losses and has five quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries, returning one for a touchdown.
“It will be tough, but somebody has to step up and play,” Reader said. “We can’t get down on ourselves. (Clowney) has been a leader all last year, this season, too.
“He’s going to do what he does. The rest of us have to raise our game. It’s a big piece, losing J.J. and Whitney. We have to raise our game.”
New pair ‘ready to roll’
The Texans obtained some reinforcements. Veteran defensive end Kendall Langford and outside linebacker Lamarr Houston spent their first day getting acclimated with the Texans after signing their contracts following Tuesday tryouts.
Both players have a history of knee problems, but they passed physicals.
“I’m ready to roll,” said Langford, 31, who has 290 career tackles and 22½ sacks in previous stints with the Dolphins, Colts, Rams and Saints. “I’m just going to do my job. I’m not going to try to fill J.J.’s shoes. Those are big shoes to fill. … I’m a competitor. I’m a football player.”
Houston, 30, has recovered from a pair of torn anterior cruciate ligaments in the past.
Houston, who played at Texas, has 285 career tackles and 25 sacks, including his time with the Bears.
“Two good veterans, really good guys, a lot of experience,” O’Brien said. “Both have experienced adversity in their careers, which I think is a good thing. They’ve had to come back from injuries, they’ve had to come back and play at a high level.
“They’re obviously in shape, which is the big key in those workouts. Smart players, guys that I believe can help us.”
Versatility is the watchword surrounding the Texans’ defensive line. They have flexibility with several players able to line up inside or outside. Defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel can experiment with four-man fronts or go with the Texans’ traditional 3-4 alignment, but he’ll have to do so without Watt.
It’s a huge adjustment for a defense that has relied on him for years.
“We’re going to do the same thing we did last year when he went down,” Covington said. “It comes back to the whole, ‘Next man up,’ mentality. There’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be ready for Sunday. We have a bunch of guys who can play every position. All of the guys in those positions are going to do fairly well.”