AP

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt told reporters Wednesday that there were some days last winter that he worried about ever being healthy enough to return to the field.

“After the first surgery, there were some days there where I really, really questioned whether or not I would ever be able to play again,” Watt said, per the team’s official transcript. “Just some of the stuff we were dealing with from a rehab standpoint, just the way recovery was going early on…way back in January and February, there was a very low point there.”

Watt had groin surgery after last season and then had surgery to repair a herniated disc in late July, and Wednesday he was candid about his road back.

“[After the first surgery] I was in a hotel room in Philadelphia for 10 days straight not being able to really walk or anything,” Watt said. “With this this back surgery, after going through the first one…it was almost like, ‘screw it, let’s get it over with, let’s get through it.’ This one has almost been a fun challenge to overcome.”

Watt, who’s never missed a game in his five-year career, was activated from the physically unable to perform list last weekend and is expected to play in Sunday’s season opener despite having missed all of training camp and the offseason.

“It’s definitely…the most difficult offseason I’ve had,” Watt said. “It definitely gives you a new outlook, kind of a fresh approach. You see things from a different light when you’re going through stuff and you go through the ups and downs. I’m really looking forward to coming out and having a new mountain to climb.

“There have been some days where it sucked. It absolutely sucked. But I enjoyed the adversity that we faced and I enjoyed having to overcome those things and challenges I haven’t had before. I hope to never have an offseason like this again, but I definitely learned and grew from it.”