HOUSTON -- In a message to fans on Twitter, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt tweeted that he "will be back" after he reinjured his back and was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Watt reinjured the same disk in his back for which he underwent surgery on July 22, a source told ESPN's Ed Werder. Watt is seeking a second opinion.
Adversity sucks.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) September 28, 2016
Your attitude towards it doesn't have to.
I will be back. pic.twitter.com/56lhtHYs7r
"I haven't missed a game since my sophomore year of high school," Watt said. "This won't be fun, but it is necessary in order for me to return to 100% and play at the level that I am capable of playing at.
"Everybody deals with adversity in their lives, many much worse than what I'm going through. I have great people around me, and I appreciate the thoughts and well wishes from all of you. I am looking forward to the fight back to the top and to the next time that I can step back on that field with my brothers to play the game that I love. You are the best fans in the world and I promise to continue to do everything in my power to make you proud."
Texans coach Bill O'Brien said he wasn't sure when Watt reinjured his back.
"You can never replace the best player in the NFL. When someone like that goes down, it's a tough thing, obviously. But at the same time, this is a football team. This is a team," he said.
"A team made up of some really good veteran leaders. Some really good young players. We've got a lot of good players, a lot of good players, in that locker room and we're looking forward to the challenges that are ahead."
O'Brien said the decision to place Watt on IR was "made by the organization in the best interest of J.J.'s long-term health, and that's what's most important to us."
Watt will miss a minimum of eight weeks, meaning he could be back Nov. 27 against the San Diego Chargers. However, a team source told Werder that "I do believe that he will miss the season, but with the new rule this year, if he were to be ready in December, he could come off IR. Long shot."
The 27-year-old had not missed an NFL game in his career, playing in 83 consecutive regular-season games.
Watt missed all of training camp and the preseason after he had the surgery to repair his herniated disk in late July. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler played part of last season through the injury before aggravating it late in the offseason. He also had surgery in January to repair five torn core muscles.
Although Watt had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had not been as explosive since returning to the field.
Houston signed veteran defensive end Antonio Smith to fill Watt's roster spot. Smith played for the Texans from 2009 to 2013, registering 27 of his 47 career sacks with the team.