Fansided

30 active NFL players who will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

By Russell S. Baxter

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: J.J. Watt #99 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at SoFi Stadium on January 17, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: J.J. Watt #99 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at SoFi Stadium on January 17, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

5. DE J.J. Watt

During the 2021 offseason, the Arizona Cardinals signed former Texans’ defensive end J.J. Watt. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was granted his release by Houston and he would go onto join former teammate DeAndre Hopkins in the desert.

During his 10-year stay with the Texans, the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft racked up 101 sacks, 25 forced fumbles and 18 takeaways. Unfortunately, his debut season with the Cards was cut short by injury. Watt started the team’s first seven games and finished with 16 tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He would not return until the playoffs, where he finished with three tackles in the team’s wild card loss to the Rams.

In 2014 with the Texans, Watt enjoyed an amazing season. He finished second on the club with 78 tackles and led the league with 20.5 sacks on the way to winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time. There was one interception, four forced fumbles, 10 deflected passes and five fumble recoveries. He also caught three touchdown passes, returned both an interception and a fumble for scores and also came up with a safety.

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