Houston Texans Legend J.J. Watt Pumped Up For New Era Under DeMeco Ryans

Watt, viewed as the greatest Texan of all-time, is all-in on DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud leading the team to greatness.

Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans JJ Watt speaks to the fans during his Ring / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans are are about to arguably their most hyped season in franchise history. Yes, even higher than the peak early Deshaun Watson seasons. C.J. Stroud’s rookie campaign dazzled to the point he’s now viewed as a true superstar quarterback in the NFL. With head coach DeMeco Ryans and Stroud leading the way, Houston is a true Super Bowl dark-horse contender.

Texans legend J.J. Watt has taken notice, and he can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

“Think about where this franchise was two years ago, and then you think about where they are today and some of the conversations that are happening, some of the expectations that are being put upon this team,” Watt said. “I do think that you could say it’s a situation where the excitement level and expectation level has built so high so fast that it almost is starting to become unrealistic.”

In their first year together, the Ryans and Stroud combination miraculously led Houston to an AFC South divisional crown.

Entering into the season, Houston was widely viewed as a team that would be lucky to sniff six or seven wins tops. Instead, look where they are now — pushing the chips into the middle of the table for a legitimate title run over the next few seasons of Stroud’s career.

“When you have a head coach like DeMeco Ryans, when you have a quarterback like C.J. Stroud, and the mentality that those two have, and the way they handle themselves and the way they conduct their business, I think that they are uniquely positioned to handle this situation and continue to excel,” said Watt.

If the Texans can capitalize off all the momentum they've created over the past year, they are set up beautifully for an era of consistently winning when it matters most. Watt would know more than most on that for Houston, too.