Watt could miss rest of season
J.J. Watt is out until at least December and could miss the rest of the season with an injured back, leaving the Houston Texans searching for ways to deal with the loss of the NFL’s best defensive player.
The defensive end was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, which means he’ll be out for a minimum of eight weeks. “You can never replace the best player in the NFL,” Coach Bill O’Brien said. “When someone like that goes down, it’s a tough thing, obviously, but at the same time this is a team.”
O’Brien said Watt had reinjured his back and putting him on injured reserve was the best thing for his longterm health. “It’s flared up to the point where he can’t continue to play right now,” O’Brien said. “Going on IR will give J.J. all the time he needs to make sure that he’s 100% healthy.”
Watt, who won the defensive player of the year award the last two seasons, missed training camp and Houston’s four preseason games after surgery in July to repair a herniated disk in his back.
Bryant has fracture
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has a slight hairline fracture in a bone in his right knee, though Coach Jason Garrett said he might not miss a game.
Bryant didn’t practice Wednesday, three days after getting hurt in a win over Chicago, and the same day the team got back results of an MRI exam.
Wilson practices
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was a full participant in practice, and all indications are that he will be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets.
Coach Pete Carroll said he needs to see how Wilson recovers from practice but as of now he’s expecting his quarterback to be able to play. Wilson sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee while being pulled down by San Francisco’s Eli Harold in the third quarter of Seattle’s 37-18 win Sunday.
Also, the Seahawks signed veteran running back C.J. Spiller to a one-year contract.
Etc.
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler returned to practice on a limited basis after missing a game because of a sprained right thumb . ... Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles could make his season debut Sunday night at Pittsburgh, though Coach Andy Reid acknowledged that it would depend on how he practices this week. Charles has not played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 5 last season . ... Jets wide receiver Eric Decker aggravated a shoulder injury last Sunday, and his availability for the game against the Seahawks is uncertain.
The Miami Dolphins ruled out four players for their game Thursday at Cincinnati because of injuries: linebacker Koa Misi (neck), center Mike Pouncey (hip), running back Arian Foster (groin) and tight end Jordan Cameron (concussion).
A second petition has been filed asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the $1-billion settlement of NFL concussion lawsuits because of how it treats current brain injuries versus future ones. The former players who filed the petition complain that chronic traumatic encephalopathy diagnosed before the April 2015 cutoff can bring $4 million but future CTE diagnoses aren’t compensated.