The Texans have granted the wish of future Hall of Fame defensive end JJ Watt to be released from his contract. This allows him to sign with any team he chooses to.
The Denver Broncos could be one of many teams interested in signing him. Watt could be interested in the Broncos as well.
Watt has proven that he is a threat to opposing offenses when he is on the field. He has is a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, a 5-time Pro Bowler, a 5-time first-team All-Pro, and has been a Player of the Week seven times.
There are also some negatives about the potential of adding Watt that need to be addressed. Here are a couple of pros and cons in regards to signing the star pass rusher.
Pro No. 1: JJ Watt would fill a hole on the Denver Broncos defensive line
The Broncos are likely going to need help on the defensive line as they have multiple players who will be hitting free agency.
Those players include Shelby Harris, DeMarcus Walker, Sylvester Williams, Joel Heath, and Jonathan Harris.
We’ve gotten to see the ball swatting abilities from Shelby Harris. Watt is well-known to do the same thing. He had been a phenomenal asset to the Texans’ defensive line since being drafted back in 2011.
Watt does not necessarily need a great position coach to help him succeed, but the Broncos actually do have a well-known guy in Bill Kollar who has helped transform Shelby Harris into a pretty solid player. What could he do with Watt, a guy who has already made a name for himself?
Speaking of Kollar, the two were actually in Houston together from 2011 to 2014.
That could be a fun reunion.
Con No. 1: JJ Watt has missed some time due to injuries.
Yes, JJ Watt has played all 16 games in seven of his ten seasons in the league, including last season.
However, as is evidenced by history, when he misses games during a season, he misses quite a few.
- In 2019, Watt missed eight games due to a torn pectoral muscle.
- In 2017, Watt missed 11 games to a fracture in his leg.
- In 2016, Watt missed 13 games due to a herniated disc in his back.
- In 2015, Watt dislocated his left elbow, Watt had a partially torn right adductor longus, a fully torn left adductor longus, and a fully torn left adductor pectineus in his inner thighs and groin, along with partial tears in his left and right abdominals.
All of these injuries should be a concern to a lot of teams despite his rebounding 2020 season where he played in every game.
As players get older, their bodies will break down. It would not surprise me if this scares some teams off.