The Texans standout defender left in the second quarter

Watt done for the year with injury

Cody Stoots
Oct 27, 2019, 5:25 pm
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The Texans were down their best defensive player as J.J. Watt left the game with a shoulder injury. After the game he confirmed he was done for the year.


UPDATE: Watt is finished for the season

Watt's postgame comment

That would seem to confirm a lot of the below information but it is all just speculation until an official designation is out.

Shoulder knocks Watt out

Watt jogged to the locker room in the second quarter by himself. He had been in the medical tent after a big tackle for loss against the Raiders deep in Oakland territory. He jogged off without the medical staff but wouldn't return.

Watt now on defense?

The Texans turned to Brennan Scarlett to play opposite Whitney Mercilus in rush packages. Jacob Martin had a QB hit in the first half rushing the passer. Mercilus darted through for a big hit on Raiders running back Josh Jacobs in the third quarter. No Texans player recorded a hit on Derek Carr after Watt left.

Watt's 2019 in jeopardy after the injury

Whitney Mercilus had his season ended by a similar injury in 2017. There is no official word on Watt's injury currently as the Texans will await testing for more information.

Bill O'Brien said after the game Watt went to the hospital right away to get further testing. He mentioned they have had to play with Watt injured for the year before and they would do it again if that was indeed the case.

Other notable injures

Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil left the game with a shoulder injury and didn't return for the Texans finally drive. Lonnie Johnson left with a concussion. Deshaun Watson was kicked in the face during the above play but remained in the game.

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The team also officially promoted Jack Easterby as well

Bill O'Brien now Texans General Manager in addition to head coach

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Bill O'Brien has a new placard on his desk.

New title for O'Brien and his unofficial assistant GM

As seen above the Texans have named Bill O'Brien as the general manager in addition to his role as the team's head coach. O'Brien joins his former boss Bill Belichick as one of the members of the NFL coaching community who also has the decision-making powers.

Jack Easterby, who also previously worked with the New England Patriots, now has an official title too. It was widely believed he had heavy input on the team in his past year with the team.

This had been coming

It would be interesting to know if this was something known in the building by the team or just assumed. Either way, something long whispered, came to fruition.

With the amount of front office talent that has left the organization in the past year there was some belief O'Brien was consolidating his power. Today, he has all the power in the organization.

Business as usual, with the titles

SB Nation Radio NFL Insider Adam Caplan told me teams have treated the situation in Houston as if O'Brien was the Texans general manager since Brian Gaine was fired by the team.

Now O'Brien has the title with the work. He is in charge of the team from a management perspective, he is the head coach, and he calls the plays for the teams.

How does this work?

HoustonTexans.com

I don't think it does work. I don't see it. SB Nation Radio NFL Insider Adam Caplan told me the expectation from the league is O'Brien will do whatever he has to do to keep his job.

O'Brien did a ton this past offseason and yet the team regressed in many areas. Without a regular slate of draft picks and quite a few of their own players set to hit free agency the Texans are in a tough spot.

Short of O'Brien really taking the next step along with a few of his key players and some solid and smart spending the Texans might have hit their ceiling in 2019. If that's the case, O'Brien could theoretically survive a similar campaign in 2020. But, there are no more excuses. O'Brien has nobody to blame but himself now.

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