The Houston Texans named their 2019 team captains on Wednesday.
According to the club’s official Twitter page, defensive end J.J. Watt, quarterback Deshaun Watson, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, and linebacker Dylan Cole were named captains for the regular season.
“Those guys will be the permanent captains for 2019,” coach Bill O’Brien told reporters Wednesday.
Watt as a team captain is a no-brainer given he has been the face of the franchise since the 2012 season at the earliest, but certainly since the Bill O’Brien era. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year produced 16.0 sacks last season.
Watson is another one that is an easy decision given his natural leadership and the way players on both side of the ball rally around him. The Pro Bowl signal caller almost engineered an Opening Day comeback at the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
Joseph earned two Pro Bowl selections in his first two seasons since joining the Texans in 2011. The 35-year-old has been a leader in the Texans’ secondary since his arrival.
Cole is a special teams captain, and it was his serious approach to the third phase of the game that influenced players to vote for the former 2017 Missouri State undrafted product.
“He’s a leader,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien indicated there could be game day captains throughout the season based on how players practice, and also stressed that the leadership on the team does not end with the captains.
