J.J. Watt Believes Texans Have NFL’s Most Underrated Player

Danielle Hunter Quietly Dominating for Texans

Not only has Hunter had another standout season on Houston's defensive line as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, he's been a consistent force of doing just that over the past several years.

Hunter has a grand total of 114.5 sacks across his career, making him 27th in NFL history, but has shown no signs of slowing down entering his early 30s, now two years into his tenure with the Texans. And as proven throughout this season's sample size, he might be even better than the version of himself from 2024.

In 2025, it's been another impressive campaign in the Texans' defensive trenches; he's got 15 sacks to make for the second-highest single-season sack total of his career, paired with 54 tackles and three forced fumbles, joining Will Anderson to make for one of, if not the best edge-rushing tandem that the NFL has to offer.

But Hunter, while dominant, hasn't been the most flashy player while taking care of his business. The Texans' veteran edge rusher actually turned out to have the league's third-highest sack total throughout the season, and only one of three names in the NFL to claim 15 or more takedowns on the quarterback––joining Giants' Brian Burns and his 16.5, along with the new all-time single-season sack leader, Myles Garrett, who had a whopping 23.

Hunter even secured more sacks than Anderson, the Texans' other edge rusher upfront to help lead Houston to one of the best collective defensive units in recent history, and despite that, it still left him without a Pro Bowl selection to his name—which would've made for the sixth of his career—after such a consistent and impactful set of games as a part of Houston's defense.

For what it's worth, Watt, the best defender in Texans franchise history, and one of the most talented edge rushers the league has ever seen, clearly recognizes what Hunter brings to the table and is sure to give him his flowers after such a productive year, even if those Pro Bowl honors aren't coming his way.

Now, Hunter will have a golden opportunity to prove his worth on the national stage in the postseason against the task that is the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers, but another chance to add to his list of signal callers taken down at his hands throughout one of the best campaigns in a Hall of Fame-level career.