HOUSTON -- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said Tuesday that nearly six weeks after having ACL surgery, he is "on the right track" with his rehab.

Watson tore the ACL in his right leg in practice on Nov. 2 and had surgery six days later. He was initially given an eight-to-nine-month timeline to return to the field after surgery. Watson said that right now he expects to be back soon after the Texans' organized team activities (which start in mid-April and go until mid-June) and that his rehab is "going great."

"It's a daily grind, a daily process," he said Tuesday after surprising Santa Ana Mater Dei (Calif.) quarterback JT Daniels with the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award. "We're on the right track of six weeks out and everything's been going smooth."

Watson tore the ACL in his left leg during his freshman year at Clemson and returned to the field just five months later. The rookie said he has used what he learned from that experience and said it kept him from being "caught off guard" with what the recovery process would be like.

"[The injury] was frustrating," Watson said. "We were just kind of getting things started, getting the ball rolling and just having a setback kind of put that on hold. ... We'll learn from it and turn it around next year."

"I'm always a positive person, and I'm always trying to find ways to get better, so take the good and the bad that came with the seven games I played in this year. I'll learn from it and use the experience to carry me onto the 2018 season."

Since the Texans lost Watson for the season, they have gone 1-6 with quarterbacks Tom Savage and T.J. Yates. Watson is not the only key injury the Texans have had to deal with, as they are also without defensive end J.J. Watt (broken leg), outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (torn pectoral muscle), rookie running back D'Onta Foreman (torn Achilles) and tight ends C.J. Fiedorowicz (concussion) and Ryan Griffin (concussion).

Watson said that while it's hard to have such the large group out for the season, the players have been pushing each other in the training room as they each work on their rehab.

"There's always motivation and positive vibes going around the training room," Watson said. "No one wants to be hurt, no one wants to go through this grind and this setback, but sometimes you have to deal with the struggles. And right now that's what we're dealing with. But everyone is staying positive, everyone understands what this setback is going to prove."