JJ Watt Takes To Practice Field For First Time In Arizona

Three time DPOTY JJ Watt had his long awaited first training camp session for the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

JJ Watt has had to take it easy after an injury hit few years. For the all-action defensive-end, this is hard to accept. His participation with the Cardinals has been limited while he rehabs from a hamstring issue.

While his new coaches are trying to teach him how to manage his body into his 30s, his frustration is palpable. 

“We definitely took our time”, JJ Watt said.

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“That’s part of the challenge, is easing yourself back in and trusting it,” Watt said. “Somebody just asked how I felt and I was like, ‘Like a dog chasing a tennis ball.’ You’re just like, wherever it bounces you want to get it and you’re so excited to be out there and, like, it doesn’t matter if you’re supposed to go where bounces, you’re just going for it, and that’s what it felt like today.

“You’re just so excited to be out there and excited to be playing with the guys, and it was a lot of fun.”

“We wanted to make sure we were really cautious, make sure he felt 100 percent before we got him back out there,” head coach Cliff Kingsbury said.

Despite his desperation to be involved, Watt does seem to be coming around to the idea that he can’t play every single snap anymore. 

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“I think it would be beneficial to be able to cut some of those back a little bit,” Watt said. “I mean, part of it is, just, the game gets rolling, you feel like, personal pride kicks in and you’re like, ‘I need to be out there and I want to go out there and make the plays,’ but then there’s also the part of being smart and understanding that it’s a long season, it’s a long game and you need to be in there for the right situation.

“So, I think that when you have capable guys behind you who are capable of stepping in and making plays that you’re much more comfortable to do that.”