NFL Houston Texans

J.J. Watt Should Be Utilized More Often By Houston Texans At Tight End

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By @J_M_Patterson

DT JJ Watt

Cary Edmondson – USA Today Sports

Last Sunday, the Houston Texans unleashed a new offensive package on the unsuspecting Oakland Raiders, using All-Pro defensive tackle J.J. Watt at tight end. The result? Two plays and two touchdowns.

By the time the dust had settled, Houston proved victorious over a bewildered and struggling Oakland squad by a score of 30-14. More importantly, Watt’s presence at tight end proved to be a much-needed offensive boost for the Texans’ offense, allowing them to pull their record even at 1-1.

Upon closer observation, perhaps the Raiders’ coaching staff should have seen Watt coming. While it was the first time he had scored offensively since high school, Watt had openly lobbied former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak for a chance to play tight end. After all, Watt had dominated on both sides of the ball before his college coaches moved him to his current home on the defensive line.

Coach Kubiak had even scripted several offensive plays for Watt and reportedly practiced them on occasion with the first team offense. However, for some reason current Houston head coach Bill O’Brien was more anxious to pull the trigger on Watt’s request. Of course, he may have had ulterior motives given his team’s circumstances. Nonetheless, his willingness to think outside the box on key drives should be applauded.

The two offensive plays that Watt was a part of highlighted his diversity as an athlete too. On one play, Watt was essentially used as a decoy, staying in-line to block for running back Arian Foster on a short touchdown scamper. The other play was far more exciting for Texans fans though. Watt ran a quick out and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Now, it seems the NFL’s most dominant DT will be terrorizing defenses, as well as offenses, on a semi-regular basis. Watt has proven that he can not only dominate on defense, but he can also provide a spark on the offensive side of the ball as well. Not just that, but Watt is also clearly willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. While this may seem like a new concept, there have been several defensive Hall-of-Famers that have had success with a small offensive role.

In fact, Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel had an amazing career with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, and eventually logged 10 career receptions from the tight end position, all going for touchdowns. It’s quite possible Vrabel may have played some small role in Watt’s offensive debut.

Moving forward, Houston would be wise to continue utilizing Watt in their goal-line packages. His ridiculous strength and athleticism creates mismatches wherever he lines up, and while he probably won’t see time at tight end every week, it is now something that opposing defenses must be aware of. That in itself, makes playing Watt on offense worthwhile and should make for some for some interesting football in Texas.

Jarrod Patterson is a sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_M_Patterson or Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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