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J.J. Watt putting in the work to be ready for return

Standing at a podium Monday and wearing a red T-shirt as the Texans launched their offseason conditioning program, Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt struck a confident, humorous tone.

And the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year poked fun at his struggles to don an extra-small Rockets T-shirt Sunday night during a playoff win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, quipping: 'That's the offseason plan, not to get bigger, just to get smaller shirts."

Watt turned more serious when the topic of the most-discussed back injury in the NFL was broached.

Watt underwent a pair of microdiscectomy surgeries last season to repair the same herniated disk on the heels of undergoing another procedure last offseason to address several core muscles.