Texans Officially Place DE J.J. Watt On Injured Reserve, Sign DE Antonio Smith

Update:

The Houston Texans officially placed DE J.J. Watt on injured reserve Wednesday and re-signed veteran DE Antonio Smith.

.@HoustonTexans place DE @JJWatt on Reserve/Injured & sign free agent DE @antoniosmith94 to the active roster. He will wear jersey number 94

— Texans PR (@TexansPR) September 28, 2016

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Adam Schefter reports that the Texans are, in fact, placing DE J.J. Watt on injured reserve after he re-injured his back during last week’s game.

• According to Schefter, the Texans are signing veteran DE Antonio Smith to replace him.
• Pro Football Talk reports that Smith receives a one-year contract from the Texans.

Reports have said that Houston is hoping Watt will be able to return at some point. However, it’s clear that this is a serious injury that very well could require surgery and hold him out for the remainder of the season.

Watt, 27, is in the third year of his eight-year, $108.88 million contract that includes $51.8 million guaranteed. He stands to make a base salary of $10.5 million for the 2016 season.

This season, Watt has appeared in three games and recorded eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery for the Texans. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 72 interior defender out of 116 qualifying players.

Smith, 34, is a former fifth-round pick of the Cardinals back in 2004. He spent five years in Arizona before signing on with the Texans where he would remain for another five years.

Smith played one year for the Raiders before joining the Broncos last season.

In 2015, Smith appeared in all 16 games for the Broncos and recorded nine tackles, 2.5 sacks and two pass defenses.