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Watt fully cleared for football activities, feels 'new energy'

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports

J.J. Watt is back and thinks he might be better than ever.

The Houston Texans defensive end told reporters Wednesday that he sees no reason he won't be ready for OTAs this spring.

"I've been cleared for football activities," Watt declared while speaking at a Super Bowl-related event in Houston.

Watt missed most of the 2016 season after aggravating a back injury and undergoing surgery in September. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year admitted he probably tried to push himself back too quickly over the summer.

"I think there's an element of being very prideful, and wanting to get back as quickly as I possibly could, and wanting to do things that had never been done before, rehab quicker than anybody's rehabbed," Watt admitted.

This time around, Watt insisted he's working just as hard but being smarter about the risks of re-injury.

Watt shrugged off a question about whether his ongoing back issues could shorten his career and suggested that missing most of 2016 could actually extend his career, saying he feels a "new energy."

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