Texans HC Lovie Smith on Deshaun Watson: We Hope That There's Some Rust

When Deshaun Watson takes the field on Sunday, he will have not played in an NFL game in nearly two years. The Houston Texans admitted they hope that is a factor Sunday -- not in a shot at Watson -- but they know the kind of player that he can be.

"We hope that there's some rust," Texans head coach Lovie Smith said to the press on Wednesday.

Surely there will be a reclamation period for Watson to return to himself, if there is not, the Browns will be kicking themselves for starting 4-7 this season.

"We're telling our guys we're gonna see the best version of Deshaun and I think you go into every game that way."

Texans are preparing for the player that led the league in passing during the 2022 season and carried a 33-7 touchdown to interception ratio.

"What a great opportunity for us too. We hadn’t played our best ball (lately). A lot of people will be watching this game and hopefully, we put our best effort we’ve had all year," Smith said on Monday.

Smith did not coach Watson at Houston, he was at Illinois at the time. The first-year Texans head coach knows the kind of player that Watson can be, and is trying to have his team prepared for just that.