Watt passes physical, will return to practice Monday

The Houston Texans moved three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt back to their active roster on Saturday, and are reportedly expected to play their star defensive end in the team’s regular season opener against the Chicago Bears on September 11. Watt is expected to play in next Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who underwent surgery July 20 to fix a herniated disk, spent the entire preseason on the physically unable to perform list.

Our models remain skeptical about Watt’s status for Week 1, but we still project him for a whopping 75.55 tackles and 18.54 sacks from Week 2 onward. “He certainly feels much better, obviously than he did two weeks ago”, O’Brien said, via the Texans’s team website.

Head coach Bill O’Brien said Friday that it “looks decent” that Watt could return for Week 1.

Watt missed all of training camp rehabbing from back surgery to fix a herniated disc.

The Texans activated him from the physically unable to perform list on Saturday before Sunday’s announcement that he passed his physical. Greg Mancz, second-year player who appeared in three games last season, took over on line that could also be without veteran LT Duane Brown (quadriceps surgery in January) when season begins.

Brown tore his quadriceps past year in the Texans’ regular season finale against the Jaguars.