Clowney feels 'great' -- could this finally be his year?

We check on Jadeveon Clowney before the start of just about every season because, unfortunately for Clowney, he is a freakishly talented No. 1 overall pick who has been hampered by injuries out of his control over his first two seasons in the NFL.

Whether we are Texans fans or not, seeing him play two games his first season (knee) and nine last year (foot) was a tremendous letdown for anyone picturing what could have been for the pass rusher alongside J.J. Watt.

But promise still rears its head as it often does before games actually matter. Clowney says he is feeling good.

"I feel great," Clowney said, via the team's official site. "After two seasons I think I just got healthy enough to be where I need to be."

He added: "Just come back and work hard, just learn the playbook and keep on going, keep working hard and show the guys I'm ready to go."

With Watt missing OTA workouts Monday as he continues to recover from surgery, it gave the Texans a look at just how fragile their potentially great defense can be. Watt will be ready for training camp, sure, and Clowney is apparently healthier than ever, but it feels like we're running out of chances to see just how dominant they could be together.

Could 2016 be the year?

In watching Texans tape from a year ago, especially at the beginning of the season, Watt and Clowney were providing some Broncos-level pressure. In a lot of ways, their edge-crashing blueprint against the Panthers in a narrow Week 2 loss helped show the most effective way to slow down Cam Newton.

It was both a sign of good things to come and the epitome of the Texans' frustration. If only Watt and Clowney could be on the field together, healthy.