National Post (National Edition)
Watt is poised to ride again
J.J. Watt has punished the Tennessee Titans, their offensive linemen and their quarterbacks for a decade.
The defensive end has more sacks (18) against them than any other team, and as many quarterback hits (38) and solo tackles (55) against them as any other team.
Watt even has one of his three touchdown receptions against the Titans.
Watt, a three-time defensive player of the year, is one of the main reasons the Houston Texans are 10-5 against Tennessee since 2011.
So no wonder the Titans are interested in him now that he's available.
You know what they say: If you can't beat him, sign him.
“We've had some contact,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said Tuesday in a video call. “It's early in the stages. We obviously know his skill set and what he's meant to the Texans, having played against him twice (a year) and the type of player he is. So we'll just kind of see how it goes.”
The Titans finished first in the AFC South with an 11-5 record before losing 20-13 to the Ravens in the wild-card game.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson danced past the Texans once he crossed the line of scrimmage, rushing 16 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, but they also held him to 179 yards passing and sacked him five times.
Still, during the season the Texans were 24th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed, while owning the worst third-down defence (allowing a 51.9 per cent conversion rate) in the NFL.
And for what it's worth, Mike Vrabel was the Texans linebacker coach (2014-2016) and their defensive co-ordinator (2017) before becoming the Titans head coach in 2018, so he does have a relationship with Watt.
At the same time, it'd be surprising if there's a team that hasn't put in a call to his agent since Watt and the Texans went their separate ways on Friday.
On Valentine's Day, Watt had the hearts of Bears fans pumping with excitement when he shared some Instagram and Twitter posts from the night before in the Windy City. Of course, he was also with his girlfriend, Kealia Ohai, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League.
The Bears defensive line is already taking a big bite of cap space in 2021 with Khalil Mack (US$26.6 million), Robert Quinn ($14.7 million) Akiem Hicks ($12 million).
Making more sense is Watt hooking on with a team that has a stronger whiff of the Super Bowl.
Like the Packers, who live in his home state.
Like the Steelers, who already employ his brothers T.J. and Derek.
Like the Bills, who have been promoted in phone calls to Watt by the two greatest receivers in franchise history — Andre Reed and Stefon Diggs.
And then there's the story on Cleveland.com that says Watt is “seriously considering” the Browns because of their available cap space (approx. $29.7 million) and what he feels is a championship-calibre roster.
Totally plausible.
The Browns already have the league's best running back combo in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Having Watt to compliment defensive end Myles Garrett would really give them something to bark about in the Dawg Pound.
OUTSIDE THE LINES: Surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn labrum on the non-throwing shoulder of Trevor Lawrence “went great,” the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, quoting a source. Doctors expect the Clemson quarterback to be 100 per cent by training camp. If Lawrence isn't wearing a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey at that time, the team made a startling and massive trade. That ain't happening. …
Watt isn't the only player available to teams looking for help on defence. The Panthers have released two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short, who's been limited to just five games over the past two seasons because of shoulder surgeries. Short, Carolina's best defensive player, is heading into the final season of a five-year, $80-million deal. He had 23.5 sacks from 20152017.
FROM THE GOOD NEWS DEPARTMENT:
Late Monday night, Ariel Young, the fiveyear old critically injured when she was in a parked vehicle hit by Britt Reid's truck, emerged from the coma she's been in since Feb. 4. “Ariel is awake,” her aunt said on the GoFundMe page that has raised almost $500,000 for her medical expenses. Reid, who was the Chiefs outside linebackers coach before his contract expired, is under investigation for driving under the influence.
GOING DEEP: About to turn 36, running back Adrian Peterson told TMZ.com he hopes to play at least four more years while winning a Super Bowl and surpassing Emmitt Smith as the all-time leading rusher.
“I want to be a 40-yearold back out there rushing for 1,500 yards and amazing people still,” said Peterson. “I'm going to keep playing, trying to chase the championship and, God's willing, within the process of doing that, I'm able to catch Emmitt and pass him.”
Peterson, who rumbled for 604 yards with the Lions in 2020, is fifth on the alltime list at 14,820 yards. He is 3,535 behind Smith.