J.J.

Watt

There has been loose speculation about the recently retired Watt joining the Texans, who he spent the first 10 years of his career with, but there doesn’t appear to be any real interest at this time. Watt said he would be happy to “pop in and talk to the boys” if asked to do so, but any rumors of him possibly joining DeMeco Ryans’ staff can be laid to rest. Ryans has already interviewed several candidates for defensive coordinator, with more interviews expected to follow in the coming days.

With Watt retiring at the end of the season, the Cardinals restructured his deal to spread out the $7.2 million in dead cap that would count toward the team in 2023. Now, the Cardinals will have $2.4 million in dead cap count against them in 2023, with $4.8 million counting against them in 2024. This is nothing more than a move to free up cap space with Watt on the way out.

Watt posted a picture of himself, his wife, and his newborn daughter, and said Sunday’s game against the Bucs was his “last ever NFL home game.” “My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude,” Watt said. “It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure.” Watt, 33, who in October said he was playing through a case of atrial fibrillation, was one of the league’s premiere pass rushers during his heyday in Houston, where he had four seasons with at least 16 sacks. In his dominant 2012 campaign, Watt recorded 39 tackles for a loss and 20.5 sacks, proving unblockable for opposing tackles. Watt, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, missed significant time with various injuries over his final four NFL seasons, with two forgettable seasons in Arizona. His next stop is likely Canton.

There is not much to say other than “wow.” “I was just told somebody leaked some personal information about me and it’s going to be reported on today,” Watt posted on Twitter. “I went into A-Fib on Wednesday, had my heart shocked back into rhythm on Thursday and I’m playing today.” It’s a shocking, troubling admission. It is difficult to understand why Watt would be taking such a chance, but we are neither Watt nor his doctors. It does once again raise the question about when players’ decisions to play should be taken out of their hands following the Tua Tagovailoa fiasco. Hopefully Watt is not taking an unnecessary risk.

Rapoport noted Watt will likely be on a pitch-count. The veteran defensive end struggled with injuries in his first season with Arizona, appearing in just seven games. It makes sense for the team to ease the former star back into the lineup with a snap-count this week. His return should give a weak Arizona defense a slight boost in their Week 2 matchup with Las Vegas.

Watt missed the Cardinal’s opener because of the calf issue. He was held out of practice last week but was upgraded to a pair of limited sessions this week. For an Arizona defense that just got mauled by the Chiefs, Watt’s return can’t come soon enough. Though he’s no longer the force he was in Houston, Watt should still contribute as a consistent pass-rusher.

It’s almost certainly a limited practice. Watt did not practice on Wednesday or all of last week, but this looks like the start of a chance he’ll play against the Raiders in Week 2. Watt told reporters that he believes he will play. The Cardinals will be desperate to try to stay out of an 0-2 hole, so even if he’s questionable, it’s probably more likely than not that Watt will play barring a new report on Friday.

Watt didn’t practice at all this week, so his absence from Week 1 was always the likely outcome. He will eye a Week 2 return versus the Raiders. Kansas City’s matchup with Arizona is getting easier by the day. The loss of Watt will make it easier for the Chiefs’ line to keep Patrick Mahomes clean throughout the game. Arizona also lost Rondale Moore on the other side of the ball earlier this week.

Watt barely practiced this week after pulling his calf, but he doesn’t need to practice in order to play. If Watt is unable to go, the Cardinals’ pass-rush group would take a big hit after already losing Chandler Jones in the offseason. Patrick Mahomes is a top-three fantasy QB1 this week.

Watt did not practice Wednesday. The veteran defensive end only appeared in seven regular season games last year because of a shoulder injury. He notched one sack and five TFLs. Coming down with another injury before Week 1 is an ominous sign for a 33-year-old player who has rarely been healthy in recent seasons. Losing Watt for Week 1 would make the Cardinals an even easier defense for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to pick on.