The Cardinals acquired a few standout talents this offseason, but J.J. Watt was unquestionably their highest-profile addition. However, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has not yet taken the field for his new team at training camp due to a hamstring injury.
It does not sound like the Cardinals are expecting Watt to return soon. The 11th-year defensive end remains on Arizona's active/PUP list and might not be ready to come off it during the Cardinals' preseason slate. Kliff Kingsbury, however, said he will feel comfortable deploying Watt in Week 1 even if he practices only on the days leading up to that game, per AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban (via Twitter).
Watt said Saturday that he feels “great” and expects to be on the field for the Cards’ season opener. He felt hamstring discomfort during his conditioning test at the outset of training camp. Watt’s injury has come at a time during which Chandler Jones has gone through practice disgruntled. Arizona’s other All-Pro pass rusher requested a trade late last month. As of now, both are expected to be on the field when the Cardinals face the Titans on Sept. 12, but neither is in an ideal situation at this juncture.
The Cards gave Watt a two-year, $28 million deal with $20 million guaranteed this offseason, winning a wide-ranging free agency pursuit. Watt has made it through two of the past three seasons healthy, but injuries halted the dominant stretch he crafted and have played a key role in the past several years of his career. Watt suffered season-ending injuries in 2016 and ’17 — a back malady and a tibial plateau fracture, respectively — and missed a lengthy stretch in 2019 due to a torn pectoral muscle.
While the Cardinals expect to have their recently acquired defensive end on the field when their regular season starts, Watt’s injury history amplifies any health-related setback he encounters.
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