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On Thursday, Texans superstar pass-rusher J.J. Watt took an important step in his comeback. For the first time since his tibial plateau fracture back in October, which ended his 2017 season, Watt is running again. 

Watt shared a video of himself running on a treadmill, which you can watch below:

In all honesty, it's a pretty boring video, but the significance of it is pretty important. Watt, a three-time defensive player of the year, is arguably the best defensive player in football when he's healthy. From 2012-15, Watt piled up 69 sacks or 17 per season. The only problem is that he's had a difficult time staying healthy in the past couple years. He's appeared in eight games since the beginning of the 2016 season due to a multitude of injuries. Watt, who still managed to win Sports Illustrated's 2017 Sportsperson of the Year for his work away from the field, is expected to be ready for the 2018 season.

The Texans' outlook for 2018 pretty much comes down to their health. It's not just Watt who's trying to come back from a serious injury. So is linebacker Whitney Mercilus and perhaps most importantly, quarterback Deshaun Watson. If that trio can make a successful return to the field, the Texans should be, at the very least, a Wild Card contender.

On a more broad level, the NFL is a better league with Watt on the field. In September, Patriots coach Bill Belichick compared him to Lawrence Taylor.

"Motor, effort, strength, quickness, instincts [and] the ability to make game-changing plays at critical times in the game," Belichick said at the time, per the Houston Chronicle. "Knowing when the big play -- critical third-down or fourth-quarter play or red-area play -- knowing those critical plays in the game. As good as Taylor would play all game, that was the time when he would play at his best."

Enough said.