The Houston Texans have one of the most exciting young teams in the NFL, as they figure to be contenders for the foreseeable future after CJ Stroud’s emergence as a rookie, and that has many lamenting the fact that JJ Watt never got to play on a team that had a quarterback like this. Watt’s former teammate and current Texans head coach, DeMeco Ryans, playfully responded to the idea of bringing back Watt for this season.

“JJ Knows that anytime he’s ready, I’m ready,” DeMeco Ryans said on Up & Adams. “When he’s ready. JJ’s been out now for what, two years? When you stop playing football for two years, it’s hard to come back. It’s always open for JJ. I’m never closing that door.”

"J.J. knows that anytime he's READY, I'm ready."

– DeMeco Ryans on if there's room for @JJWatt on the #Texans stacked defense 😏@heykayadams @HoustonTexans #htownmade pic.twitter.com/GBxR1Hyot3

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 7, 2024

Watt returned after the end of the 2022 NFL season, which he played with the Arizona Cardinals. He played 12 years in the league, 10 of them with the Texans, is arguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise, and is going to go in the Hall of Fame as he is remembered for being one of, if not the best defensive player of his generation. Obviously, it would be a shock if he came out of retirement at this point, given that he has been out of the league for over a year and the tone that Ryans spoke in.

Ryans and Watt played one year together with the Texans in 2011, before Ryans played the last four years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Ryans is leading a young Texans team that is viewed as one of the top contenders in the AFC.

How do Texans stack up against other contenders?

When looking at the AFC, there are several other teams that have Super Bowl aspirations this coming season, but the Texans should be able to compete with many of them. They are the favorites in the AFC South, although there is some excitement surrounding the Indianapolis Colts with Anthony Richardson coming back.

Other teams the Texans could have to compete with are the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets in the AFC East. We will have to wait and see how things come together for the Jets, but the Bills and Dolphins have been playoff teams for two years.

Obviously, there is the Kansas City Chiefs, who will not be easy to beat for anyone. Then, the Cincinnati Bengals can’t be discounted. The same is the case for the Baltimore Ravens, who eliminated the Texans last season and beat them in the regular season as well.

Although Houston does not have Watt rushing the passer, the addition of Danielle Hunter is huge, and should help against top teams. It will be interesting to see how Ryans’ team fares this upcoming season.