Cardinals have to be concerned about J.J. Watt

The Arizona Cardinals brought in a trio of older veterans this offseason, headlined by J.J. Watt, but now Watt is dealing with an injury.

On Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals got some bad news. Their newest star, defensive end J.J. Watt, had to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List while he deals with a nagging hamstring.

Watt, 32, expressed little concern but also noted he needs to rest, per ESPN:

“Being in the league 10 years and the biggest thing that I know is that it’s all about Week 1, so it’s all about being ready for Sept. 12 and just making sure that we’re taking a smart, smooth approach to that day.”

No, the hamstring isn’t a big deal. Well, in a vacuum anyway. It’s July and we aren’t more than a day into training camp for most teams.

Yet few things happen in such a context, and certainly not an injury to Watt.

After Watt was released at his request this offseason by the Houston Texans, he signed a two-year, $28 million deal with Arizona. The reaction was largely positive around the league, because the Cardinals are on the verge of becoming a playoff team, and Watt is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whether retires now or in five years.

However, Watt has had a lengthy injury history. The five-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro has only played 16 games twice in the last five seasons while missing a total of 32 games over said span. When on the field, Watt has been a good but not great player over that stretch, with 2018 being the outlier when he put up 16 sacks and led the league with seven forced fumbles.

With fellow edge rusher Chandler Jones reportedly wanting out of Arizona (although the team has apparently told him no chance), the Cardinals desperately need Watt to recapture his old magic. Without it, Arizona is looking at having almost no pass rush while hoping a secondary sans Patrick Peterson can hold up in the league’s best division. Good luck with that.

Yes, it’s only a camp injury and Watt isn’t expected to miss anything significant as everything stands. Still, though, considering Watt’s age and history, it raises a red flag the team can’t ignore.