Texans' head physician: Jadeveon Clowney 'looks spectacular'

The Houston Texans are reportedly aiming to have linebacker Jadeveon Clowney back for the start of training camp, and based on a recent assessment from the team's head physician, that's a very real possibility.

Dr. Walt Lowe told Jerry Barca of Forbes that Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, "looks spectacular" after being limited to four games last season because of knee issues.

Clowney has incorporated blood flow restriction training into his rehab, which reduces blood flow in the veins of a working muscle to increase mass and strength.

"Even if they've recovered well and healed what we've repaired, the weakness is so profound that it takes months to get it back to a guy that needs to do what JD needs to do on his leg to be successful playing pro football," Lowe said.

Lowe said someone of Clowney's size typically loses about three centimeters of girth around their quadricep after dealing with a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Clowney, however, lost somewhere between half a centimeter and one centimeter.

As "spectacular" as Clowney looks, there's no specific timetable for him to get back on the field. As Lowe notes, blood flow restriction is more about building and maintaining strength during rehab than speeding up the recovery process.

"The real goal in the end is to have him be who he was before he got hurt," Lowe said.