–One swim move, bull rush and rip move at a time, Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt is starting to regain his old form. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded eight tackles, four for losses, three sacks and four quarterback hits with one forced fumble Sunday, dominating the New York Giants.
Watt is encouraged by his progress, but not satisfied.
“I think it’s coming back little by little,” Watt said. “I think last game it started to show up on the stat line more maybe than it did the first couple games, but I think it’s still a work in progress. I still have a lot to improve on and get better at. I’m by no means where I want to be yet, but we’re getting there.”
Watt recorded his first sacks since a Sept. 18, 2016 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He has 79 career sacks.
“He did a great job,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Did a really good job against the running game, played hard, excellent job pass rush.”
–When the Texans drafted Texas Tech wide receiver Keke Coutee in the fourth round, they envisioned an immediate impact from him. That hasn’t gone according to plan as Coutee missed the first three games and the entire preseason with a strained hamstring.
Before Coutee got hurt, he was drawing rave reviews from the coaching staff and teammates. Now, Coutee says he’s ready to contribute to a receiving corps that lost Bruce Ellington for the season this week with a hamstring injury.
“I’m back,” Coutee said. “I feel confident. With Bruce going down, it’s a tragedy to see him go down with the same thing I’ve had. I’m ready to step up.”
Coutee was a second-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago for the Red Raiders before declaring early for the NFL draft.
“I have to learn on the fly,” he said. “I missed a lot of time.”
–One day after placing Bruce Ellington on injured reserve, the Texans’ receiving corps is banged-up. Every wide receiver on the active roster was limited in practice except for rookie Vyncint Smith. All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is on the injury report with thumb, ankle and hamstring injuries. Will Fuller, Coutee and Sammie Coates are still dealing with hamstring injuries.
–Former Texas A&M pass rusher Daeshon Hall got the call from his agent Tuesday morning that he might be joining the Texans.
“He called and told me there might be a move,” Hall said. “He told me to stay by my phone.”
On the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad, Hall was signed to the Texans’ active roster later that day and arrived in town early Wednesday morning before joining his new teammates for practice and meetings. Now, the Lancaster native and former Aggies standout is eager to make the most of this opportunity.
“It’s always good to be back home,” Hall said. “I’m back in front of the fans and in a familiar environment. It’s always fun.”
Hall is a former Carolina Panthers third-round draft pick who recorded 158 tackles and 14 sacks in college.
“I went through an injury last year,” Hall said. “This is really like my rookie year. I’m excited to play the game I love. I can do whatever the team needs me to do.”
–The Texans worked out defensive backs T.J. Green and Jack Tocho. Green is a former Indianapolis Colts second-round draft pick from Clemson. The 6-2, 209-pounder has 88 career tackles and three passes defensed. Tocho is a former Minnesota Vikings seventh-round draft pick from North Carolina State
–The Texans worked out former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter. Minter is a former Cardinals second-round draft pick from LSU where he was an all-conference selection. For his career, which has included stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, he has 255 tackles and five sacks.
–The Texans also worked out linebackers Hayes Pullard (Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers) and John Timu (Chicago Bears) and defensive lineman Chris Okoye (Cincinnati Bengals).
BY THE NUMBERS: 10-32 — Times that Deshaun Watson has been sacked and hit through three games.
