If you want to question JJ Watt’s toughness, it would be best advisable if you don’t. He played through a torn biceps, a torn labrum, a torn rotator cuff, AND a dislocated shoulder!
Watt is said to undergo shoulder surgery that is likely going to end his 2021 regular season. He dislocated his shoulder during the Cardinals’ Week 7 win over his former team, the Texans, while attempting to tackle Davis Mills in the 2nd quarter. Despite the injury, he managed to play through the entire 2nd half.
There is no timetable for Watt’s return, but his absence was felt during the Cardinals’ 24-21 loss to the Packers on Thursday Night Football. The pressure was not consistent without him, impacting getting to Aaron Rodgers and the run defense.
Ahead of the game, he did not practice on Tuesday, and the injury report indicated that. The surprise came when he did not practice on Wednesday, and in addition to the DNP, he was declared out. The shocker came out later on Wednesday when he was reported that he would likely miss the rest of the season.
The red flags should be raised when it should be taken into account that he played just 43% of his snaps against the Texans. In the previous six games, it was 72%, 90%, 82%, 72%, 83%, and 86%.
Also, during the 3rd quarter during the Cardinals’ game against the Texans, Watt was running to the sideline from the tunnel that leads to the locker room.
Watt normally wears a brace on his left elbow, but later in the game, the elbow brace was gone, and was replaced by a harness on his left shoulder. There was no announcement of an injury to Watt’s shoulder during the game.
The NFL media policy mandates the in-game announcement of injuries:
Clubs must ensure that all medical information issued to the media is credible, responsible, and specific in terms that are meaningful to teams, media, and fans. This includes the information in the weekly injury reports and information on injuries announced to the media during games.
As endorsed by the NFL Competition Comimttee, in-game injury announcements to the media must be specific to a body part, accurate, and updated as warranted, including any changes in the player’s status for the rest of the game if it changes from the initial report.
The Cardinals signed him in the offseason to a two-year, $28M contract to add a leadership presence to the defense in the locker room.
Although he didn’t put up All-Pro numbers with them, he still contributed with 16 tackles, one sack, and 10 QB hits in seven starts. While those stats won’t catch anyone’s attention, he’s been a driving force in the Cardinals’ defensive improvement.
Before their match against the Packers, they had the 4th overall defense and the top-ranked scoring defense.
The Cardinals have been dealing with multiple injuries, as most teams have, and they understand that it will be up to the team to make up for the loss.
“We’ll get Corey Peters back here pretty soon, and this is what the NFL is,” said linebacker Jordan Hicks. “You’ve got to step up. There hasn’t been one team I’ve been on where there hasn’t been an injury. Backups, guys that are role players have to now step up and become the guy. It’s NFL football, man.”
Peters and Rashard Lawrence also missed the game. The rest of the D-line consists of Zach Allen, Michael Dogbe, Jordan Phillips, Leki Fotu, and Josh Mauro.
While Peters and Lawrence will help the defense upon their return, not one of will ever replace Watt, putting the pressure on them to step up on getting the pressure up front and closing the running lanes, which will allow edge rushers Chandler Jones and Markus Golden to have a bigger impact on the outside.
How they will handle the loss could go a long way in how the rest of their 2021 season goes. They were the last remaining undefeated team before losing to the Packers.
The best-case scenario is that Watt just needs three months to recover. Assuming he gest the surgery done before the week is out, there would be the slim chance he returns to the team should they make it to the NFC Championship Game, which will be on January 30, 2022. Super Bowl LVI is two weeks after that, on February 13.
Yes, that would need a deep playoff run by the Cardinals, likely all the way to the Super Bowl. He previously had a history of returning from injury to be with his teams in the playoffs—he was placed on IR in 2019 after suffering a pectoral injury on October 27, but was activated in time for the Texans’ divisional round game against the Chiefs on January 12, though he did not put up any stats in the 51-31 loss.
He has a history of injuries, dating back to having surgery to repair a herniated disk in 2016, then missing the Texans’ final 13 games of the season where he had to undergo back surgery. That followed with playing just five games of the 2017 season because of a broken leg.
As his first regular season in the desert comes to an abrupt end, what is to be known later on in the season regarding him is yet to be known, but if he does come back, it would be one to watch.
It’s tough news for him, who is finally on a real contender after having been wasted by the Texans for so long.
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