Texans' J.J. Watt (back surgery) is ahead of schedule in recovery

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (back surgery) is "ahead of schedule," the Houston Chronicle reports.

What It Means:

Per reporter Aaron Wilson, there's "hope" Watt will do "some" work during OTA's. Watt had to shed weight to lessen the load on his surgically-repaired back. He's now in the early stages of bulking back up. Watt is returning from his second back surgery, but he's expected to be ready well ahead of Week 1.

The scary thing is how good the Texans were all season without Watt. Their defense came in fourth-best in opponent-adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points per play.