May 23, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws the ball during OTA practices at Houston Methodist Training Center. Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
HOUSTON — Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson had scant seconds to scan the field, reading the situation on the fly Wednesday as he diagnosed defenses during a red-zone drill.
Watson spotted an open wide receiver in the back corner of the end zone, but his pass arrived too late and was slightly overthrown as a potential touchdown opportunity was lost.
A first-round draft pick who was a Heisman Trophy finalist and national champion at Clemson, Watson is making steady progress in his knowledge of the Texans’ complex playbook. The Texans are seeing incremental growth from Watson as he learns to read NFL defenses and to hit his receivers in stride.
“He’s gotten better,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s gotten better every day. I think the hard part about this week is there’s more snaps in the red zone where things happen a lot faster down there. That’s always something that takes a rookie quarterback probably the longest to learn how fast things happen down there.
“But he works hard. He’s in here all the time studying. I think he was coached really well at Clemson, so he has a good basic fundamental knowledge of football. He’s got instincts and he’s getting better every day.”
At Clemson, Watson piled up 9,201 career passing yards, 83 touchdowns and just 29 interceptions. He rushed for 1,744 yards and 21 scores.
“He’s a great guy, great quarterback,” said Texans nose tackle D.J. Reader, a former Clemson teammate. “He’s a hard worker. It’s great to see him out here having fun, doing something that he loves at a high level. I’m excited to see what he can do.
“I’ve seen him grow a lot. I was there when he came as a freshman. He came in and put his head down, went to work. That’s him all the way. That’s what Deshaun does. He’s a worker.”
