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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the first 11 games of the 2022 NFL season.
He was originally set to miss the first six games of the season. The league, however, didn't believe his punishment was severe enough. After a recent agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, he received an 11-game suspension.
On ProFootballTalk, writer and analyst Myles Simmons said Deshaun Watson will ruin the Browns' playoff chances once he returns to the team. He said this will happen because Watson will be rusty. Simmons pointed out how the quarterback looked rusty during his pre-season debut versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"We saw how rusty he looked last week against Jacksonville, in that preseason game, and he was only taking a few snaps. Yes, but I mean, he airmailed that first throw that he had about as poorly as you can. So this is somebody that is going to be coming back to the field after not playing a real game since January 2021, when the Texans finished that season, I believe, four and 12. Right."
Simmons went on to say that, even if the Browns are in a playoff race by the time Deshaun Watson returns, he still won't be in a position to lead the team effectively, especially after not playing for awhile.
Simmons added:
"This is going to be somebody that, maybe, the Browns are going to be in a competitive spot. Who knows what Jacoby Brissett is going to be able to do if he is the quarterback for the first 11 games? But, you know, at that point, you still are maybe in a playoff chase and you've got a quarterback that's going to be as rusty as Deshaun Watson. Definitely will be."
Deshaun Watson will return week vs the Houston Texans
While Watson will be sitting out the first 11 games of the 2022 NFL season, he'll ironically make his return vs. the Houston Texans in week 13.
Deshaun Watson will miss games against the Browns, Jets, Steelers, Falcons, Chargers, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Dolphins, Bills, and Buccaneers.
Watson struggled in his pre-season debut in week 1 of the pre-season vs. the Jaguars. He threw for seven yards. He made 5 attempts. Three were accurate, one was overthrown, and one was underthrown.
Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett will take over as the starter in Watson's absence. Brissett will try to lead the Browns to the playoffs.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit ProFootballTalk and H/T Sportskeeda.
