Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt has not played since Week 7 when he tore basically everything in his shoulder. A recovery time that was initially supposed to be four to six months has been cut down to less than three.

He has been designated to return from injured reserve and got his first practice reps since Week 7 on Thursday.

Despite getting only “very limited” work on Thursday, per head coach Kliff Kingsbury, there is good news.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there were no issues for Watt after practice and that he is trending toward playing on Monday in the Cardinals’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.

He will likely have a limited role in his first game back if he plays but he said earlier this week that he wouldn’t try and play if he wasn’t able to play at a high level.

Against a dangerous Rams offense, getting Watt back on the defensive interior could be a big boost to a unit that struggled down the stretch.

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