When the Arizona Cardinals signed defensive end J.J. Watt to a two-year, $28 million contract this past offseason, one of the big questions surrounding the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was his durability.
He played in all 16 games last season in 2020, but he also had missed a lot of time in previous seasons.
Now that his season might be over for the Cardinals after sustaining a shoulder injury that needs surgery, a trip to injured reserve seems inevitable.
When that happens, it will be his fourth stint on IR in his last six seasons.
Since 2016, he made it through a whole season only twice — 2018 and 2020.
He played in three games in 2016, five in 2017 and then 10 in 2019. If he does not play again this season, he will have appeared in only seven games.
Including this season, it means he will have only played 55 of 97 games in six seasons.
This was always going to be the risk.
Watt has certainly made an impact on the team this season, both on the field and in the building. But it is a huge blow to lose him.
He will still impact the team with his presence after his surgery but the Cardinals didn’t give him a $28 million contract to be a cheerleader.
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