Houston's Watt Has Second Back Surgery

By ESPN

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has undergone back surgery, sources told ESPN on Thursday, in what was the second surgery in six months for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The Texans are optimistic Watt will be ready to play at the start of the regular season. But sources told ESPN's Tania Ganguli there was concern his availability for the early part of the season could be compromised.

Watt, who has never missed a regular-season game, will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list and will miss the preseason, the sources said. He didn't play during last year's preseason to preserve his health.

The Houston Chronicle previously reported Watt's back surgery.

Watt played last season with a herniated disk in his back, but it's unclear whether this surgery was related to it. Watt also had a broken hand and five torn muscles in his core area last season. He had a major surgery to repair the muscles after last season ended and had been rehabbing that. Some of the tears happened early in the season.

He reached a breaking point with the torn muscles during the Texans' wild-card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the third quarter, the Texans pulled Watt. Despite his protests, team trainer Geoff Kaplan did not allow him back in the game.

Even amid that turmoil, Watt won his third defensive player of the year award for his 17.5-sack 2015 season.

Eugene Monroe Announces Retirement

Free-agent offensive tackle Eugene Monroe announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday.

"After 18 years, I am retiring from the game I love," Monroe said in a statement. "This was not an easy decision to make, but I know it's the right one for me, my health and my family. Thank you to my fans for your continued support, and to my friends and family for always standing by me. I'm excited about what's to come."

Monroe discussed his decision further in a post on The Players' Tribune.

"The last 18 years have been full of traumatic injuries to both my head and my body," he wrote. "I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. Has the damage to my brain already been done? Do I have CTE? I hope I don't, but over 90% of the brains of former NFL players that have been examined showed signs of the disease. I am terrified.

"That's why one of the first things I'm planning to do is to go to the doctor. I need to take stock of my current health, and I don't want to miss a thing. I'm going to get brain and body imaging scans, mental health assessments -- anything that might help me get a handle on the state of my body and my mind. My health is critical to the future of my family."

Monroe, 29, was released by the Baltimore Ravens in June. An outspoken supporter of medical marijuana, he told The New York Times after his release that he wondered whether his advocacy contributed to his release.