While the Houston Texans offense may be rough early in the season, their defense for the regular season opener got even better with Bill O'Brien's announcement. Last year's first-overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney, will play against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clowney played in four games last season before it was revealed he needed microfracture surgery. Houston has been cautious with their top pick in 2014, bringing him along slowly and making sure everything is cleared by doctors before he returned to the field.
Now with the "ok" to play in games, Houston will likely work Clowney back into the defense fairly slowly with a snap count. While it's unknown how many snaps the Texans will try and limit him to in the first few weeks, he will definitely play in a reduced role.
The most important thing here is just that Clowney is returning. Coming out of the 2014 NFL Draft, he was heralded as one of the best defensive prospects in the past decade. The dream of pairing him with J.J. Watt, the best player in football, was set to be a pass-rushing duo that defensive coordinators could only dream of.
Now the important first step to making that dream possible has been made with Clowney's return to the field. He'll face a Kansas City Chiefs team with some questions on the offensive line, giving him an opportunity to make a serious impact immediately upon his return.