Coach Bill O'Brien expects Watson to take a big step forward in his third NFL season, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports. "I've always said with his work ethic and his intelligence and his hunger to be better, he'll always make a jump," O'Brien said. "I've always said that I don't think there's any ceiling on Deshaun Watson."
Watson was already quite effective in 2018, though his impressive averages of 8.2 yards per pass attempt and 5.6 per carry don't account for a league-high total of 62 sacks, which was partially a product of poor line play and partially a matter of holding on to the ball for too long. It didn't help that the Texans struggled to keep their wide receivers on the field, with Will Fuller (knee), Keke Coutee (hamstring), Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) and Bruce Ellington (undisclosed) each playing seven games or fewer. The offensive line still doesn't look particularly good on paper, but first-round pick Tytus Howard might help the matter, plus Houston is optimistic about having both Fuller and Coutee ready for Week 1. For all the sacks his playing style leads to, Watson also creates frequent long gains when he dodges pass rushers rather than throwing the ball away or settling for a dump-off. The 23-year-old should be able to refine his approach without straying too far from his aggressive instincts, assuming his supporting cast isn't just the DeAndre Hopkins Show and little else for a second straight season.