Two days removed from the final game of 2017, there was talk of Deshaun Watson and the middle of May, 2018.
The Texans quarterback is rehabbing from an early November knee injury, and according to head coach Bill O'Brien, that rehab is progressing nicely.
"He's been here every day working hard to get better and I believe he's ahead of schedule," O'Brien said during a Tuesday press conference at NRG Stadium.
Watson was injured during a practice before the Week 9 contest against the Colts. He had just been named the Offensive Player of the Month for October, when he guided the Texans offense to an average of 40.5 points per game over four contests in that span.
O'Brien was asked whether or not the 2017 first round pick would be available for organized team activities (OTAs) in mid-May, and he was hopeful.
"There's a chance he could do some things in OTAs, but I would have to confirm that with you later," O'Brien said. "Relative to exactly what he could do in OTAs, I wouldn't be able to tell you that now, but I do think that there's a chance that he could be out there during OTAs doing something."
In seven 2017 games, Watson completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards, with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran 36 times for 269 yards and a pair of scores.
Regardless of when Watson is back on the practice field, O'Brien is looking forward to working with the young quarterback.
"Absolutely," O'Brien said. "He's an exciting player. He's an even better person off the field. He's just a very coachable guy, eager to learn, eager to get better. He's got great poise on the field. We're all excited about his future."
The Texans will start offseason conditioning work as a team on April 16.
The Houston Texans roster in photos. (Updated 4/16/2021)
TE, Jordan Akins, #88
TE, Antony Auclair
DL, Auzoyah Alufohai, #98
DB, Cornell Armstrong, #30
DL, Ross Blacklock, #90
OL, Justin Britt
DB, Terrence Brooks
TE, Pharaoh Brown, #85
OL, Cohl Cabral, #72
OL, Marcus Cannon
WR, Randall Cobb, #18
DL, Maliek Collins
WR, Chris Conley
WR, Brandin Cooks, #13
WR, Isaiah Coulter, #82
WR, Keke Coutee, #16
DB, Keion Crossen, #35
LB, Zach Cunningham, #41
LB, Tae Davis
DL, Brandon Dunn, #92
LB, Duke Ejiofor, #53
WR, Alex Erickson
K, Ka'imi Fairbairn, #7
QB, Ryan Finley
OL, Hjalte Froholdt, #77
LB, Jonathan Greenard, #52
LB, Kamu Grugier-Hill
LB, Nate Hall, #48
DB, Vernon Hargreaves III, #26
OL, Charlie Heck, #67
RB, Dontrell Hilliard, #27
OL, Tytus Howard, #71
RB, Buddy Howell, #38
RB, Mark Ingram
TE, Ryan Izzo
LB, Jordan Jenkins
RB, David Johnson, #31
DL, Jaleel Johnson
DB, Lonnie Johnson Jr., #32
P, Cameron Johnston
DB, Desmond King
LB, Christian Kirksey
DL, Shaq Lawson
RB, Phillip Lindsay
LB, Jacob Martin, #54
OL, Justin McCray
LB, Whitney Mercilus, #59
DB, Terrance Mitchell
WR, Donte Moncrief
DB, A.J. Moore Jr., #33
WR, Chris Moore
DB, Eric Murray, #23
LB, Hardy Nickerson
DL, Charles Omenihu, #94
DB, Jonathan Owens, #36
LB, Kevin Pierre-Louis
RB, Scottie Phillips, #40
TE, Paul Quessenberry
DB, John Reid, #34
DB, Justin Reid, #20
DL, Derek Rivers
WR, Andre Roberts
DB, Bradley Roby, #21
OL, Max Scharping, #74
DB, Tremon Smith
OL, Jordan Steckler
OL, Lane Taylor
QB, Tyrod Taylor
DL, Vincent Taylor
LB, Joe Thomas
DB, Tavierre Thomas
OL, Cole Toner
OL, Laremy Tunsil, #78
DL, MeMarcus Walker
TE, Kahale Warring, #81
QB, Deshaun Watson, #4
LS, Jon Weeks #46
