Deshaun Watson will be suspended for the first six games of the 2022 NFL season for violating the league’s conduct policy. Is that enough?
After seemingly endless deliberation and investigation, the NFL is finally handing Deshaun Watson a six-game suspension to kick off the 2022 season, per a variety of reports.
Watson was being investigated by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy.
Former federal judge Sue L. Robinson has found that Deshaun Watson violated the personal conduct policy and has suspended him six games, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 1, 2022
The new Cleveland Browns quarterback signed a massive contract worth $230 million this offseason, fully guaranteed, despite his ongoing investigations and off-field issues.
The last time we saw Watson was the 2020 season when the Houston Texans were terrible as a team, but Watson was still putting up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers.
At his best, Watson has been a legitimate NFL MVP type of player.
Nobody really disputes the on-field impact he’s capable of making and how the Browns are justified for paying to acquire him in that regard.
What’s disputed is the fact that the Browns acquired Watson amidst many very serious legal battles, all of which have been ongoing for a long time at this point.
NFL pundits and fans are certainly not happy with the fact that Watson is only being suspended six games, and you can see why when you look at the punishments that were handed down to other players for different infractions of the league’s rules.
Josh Gordon was suspended for 78 games by the NFL for smoking weed.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 1, 2022
Calvin Ridley was suspended for at least 1 full season for making a bet that his team will win.
Vincent Jackson was suspended for 3 games because of unlicensed driving.
Plaxico got 4 games for shooting his leg
Watson also agreed to settle the three remaining active civil suits against him, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Will Deshaun Watson miss any time in training camp or preseason?
The Cleveland Browns will still have Watson around for the remainder of training camp and the preseason. Unless a player is suspended for the entire year, they typically will participate in everything up to the point the suspension begins.
Which games will Deshaun Watson miss in 2022?
Provided the six-game suspension sticks, here are the teams the Browns will be without Watson for:
– Panthers
– Jets
– Steelers
– Falcons
– Chargers
– Patriots
Who is replacing Deshaun Watson while he’s suspended?
The Browns have been planning on Jacoby Brissett taking Watson’s place while he’s suspended.
Other quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster right now are Joshua Dobbs and Josh Rosen.