Report: Cardinals DE J.J. Watt could miss rest of season
Arizona Cardinals star defensive end J.J. Watt will reportedly undergo shoulder surgery that could potentially sideline him for the rest of the NFL season.
Arizona Cardinals star defensive end J.J. Watt will undergo surgery on his shoulder, potentially sidelining him for the rest of the year, according to multiple reports.
Cardinals’ DE J.J. Watt will undergo what is now likely to be season-ending shoulder surgery, sources tell ESPN. No date set yet for surgery.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2021
Watt hurt his shoulder in the second quarter Sunday and still managed to play the rest of the game with the injury. pic.twitter.com/Y2pzFV8sFQ
Watt hurt his shoulder in the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-5 win against his former team the Houston Texans. He played for the rest of the game despite the injury, which is apparently more serious than it seemed.
The Cardinals announced that the All-Pro missed practice the whole week due to a shoulder injury, and had been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
Months of recovery
Watt may need around three months to recover from the as-yet-unscheduled surgery, which would effectively keep him out for the rest of the season.
#AZCardinals DE JJ Watt played the entire second half last week… and now needs shoulder surgery, source said. The recovery is likely at least three months, which may knock him out for the season. A tough situation for the veteran.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2021
This would make it the fourth time that the star pass-rusher sits out the rest of a season due to an injury. For the seven seasons in his career where he was not incapacitated, he was a starter in every game of the regular season.
Blow to the Cardinals lineup
The health status of the 32-year-old leaves the 7-0 Cardinals short-handed. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins also missed practice all week, and is now listed as questionable.
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Watt started all games from Week 1 to Week 7 of this season, his first with the Cardinals. The three-time NFL defensive player of the year racked up a total of 16 tackles, one sack, and 10 quarterback hits during that time.
Arizona is the only team that is yet undefeated. They go up against the 6-1 Packers in an exciting matchup on Thursday, Oct. 28 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kick off is at 8:20 p.m. ET.