White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. – One week into training camp, Texans starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is feeling and looking good.
He’s made a full recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October, ending his rookie season after just seven games.
“No, I don’t even think about it,” Watson said when asked if he thinks about his knee. “I’m on the field, I’m locked in, focused on my job and try to have a positive play and try to get points on the board.”
For Watson, this marks his second recovery from a torn ACL.
When he was at Clemson, he injured his left knee during his freshman season in 2014. Dealing with his first knee injury helped him understand the timeline of his second one even better.
“For sure. The timeline is big, but my first ACL was a shorter timeline than what it is now,” Watson said. “At the same time, I understand the preparation and the work that I had to put in to kind of get back to where I’m at today and be able to perform like I was performing before. So, just the daily grinding and kind of taking it one speed at a time, one day at a time and just move forward from there.”
With the knee injury behind him, the second-year pro can now concentrate on his job and build off his successful rookie season in which he passed for 1,699 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Solid stats, but Watson said he can still get better.
“Everything. I’m not perfect. There’s not one area where I’m 100 percent at this and I don’t need to focus on it. Each day, I just pick out something and regardless of what it is – footwork, accuracy, MIKE points, reading coverages, everything – I just try to pick out one thing and focus on that.”
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien found his franchise quarterback in Watson and is thrilled he’s overcome another knee injury.
“I think just with him, I’m very pleased with how he goes about his business every day,” O’Brien said. “He’s really attacked that rehab to put himself in position to be able to be out here and practice. I think having, unfortunately, done it before, he had a really good understanding of the timetable for the rehab to be able to be ready to practice. He’s gone out here and been able to do everything we’ve asked him to do.”
The former first-round draft pick and national champion is looking to take his game to the next level.
With seven NFL games under his belt and one year in the Texans system, he hopes his knowledge will translate into more great play on the field.
“Just slows down the game. I understand what the defense is doing. I understand what we want to do on the offensive side and what Coach (Bill) O’Brien wants to do. When I have that knowledge and continue to gain that experience each and every day and seeing different looks, it slows down the game and helps us on offense to get a positive play and make sure we’re in the right play," Watson said.