Houston Texans Injury News: J.J. Watt Hits The Treadmill

J.J. Watt’s rehab continues to progress. Today’s big step was a brisk jog on the fancypants zero-gravity treadmill that limits the impact on his injured knee.

The news comes via the preferred communication tool of many tremendous people of the day - Watt’s own Twitter account:

The 30-second video also confirms both J.J.’s thumbs are on track for 2018 as well.

Watt went on injured reserve last October after fracturing his tibial plateau against the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium. His injury, along with season-ending injuries to linebacker Whitney Mercilus and quarterback Deshaun Watson, derailed the 2017 season and may have saved Bill O’Brien’s job.

From all anecdotal accounts, as there’s no real way to “officially” track such things, Watt is on schedule to be ready for the 2018 season. He’s sure to be motivated to reclaim the throne of “Best Defensive Player in the NFL” now that injuries have pushed him down the list. In reality, Watt at 75% of his former self would still put him within the top 10 defenders in the league.

We may never see the J.J. Watt of old again, but you can bet he’ll put in every ounce of work to get as close to that as possible. How are you feeling about Watt’s path back to full health? Are you skeptical he’ll be able to stay healthy in the future?