“This is step one” - NFL analyst explains how lawsuit settlement affects Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson going forward

After several steps back for Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns quarterback has taken a massive step forward in his attempts to end his legal troubles. It was recently announced that the quarterback has settled 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits that were filed against him.

One NFL analyst gave his reaction to the news and how it sets up the quarterback and his team for the future. While speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, NFL analyst Mike Florio outlined the implications of the decision for the Browns and their quarterback:

"Well, I think this is great news for them because it dramatically reduces the headaches, the distractions, the diversions that are swirling around the franchise."

He continued, saying the team has avoided multiple years of impending hearings:

"And now they're not looking at the possibility of devoting all of the 2023 off-season to [the remaining] cases then all of the 2024 off-season devoted to however many more cases and then whatever's left over, who knows?"

He went on, speculating about what the holdup is with the remaining cases:

"This shrinks it down to something far more manageable. And hopefully it's a step toward -- from Watson's perspective -- a step toward getting the other four cases resolved, finding an acceptable bottom line. Maybe these other four just simply want more money. Maybe they are holding out for more."

He went on, calling the first 20 "a first step" towards getting rid of all 24:

"But they think that their rights were violated to a greater degree. They want to see him dig deeper than what he's digging for the first 20. So there's a chance that this is step one towards all 24 being gone."

He wrapped up his point by explaining why he feels this could be ending quite soon:

"And I think I know from my experience when I practiced law, once you get a defendant who has multiple lawsuits, whatever it is, corporate, individual, whatever. Once the wallet's out, it becomes a lot easier to just be done with it. You just want to be done with it."

Deshaun Watson's struggle-laden 2020's

Deshaun Watson Press Conference

At the end of 2019, it seemed Deshaun Watson was about to become the next big quarterback in the league. After three years of improvement and the Houston Texans advancing further every season, many thought 2020 could be the start of a new era in the NFL.

Instead, while his statistics continued to improve, the Texans hit a wall. They finished the campaign with a 4-12 record and then the problems began for Watson. Soon after the end of the year, roughly two dozen women came out with accusations against the quarterback alleging sexual misconduct.

Watson missed 2021 in part due to the accusations. However, this offseason, the pace of the saga began to quicken. It was first announced that the quarterback escaped criminal charges. It was then that the Cleveland Browns traded for him and gave him a five-year, fully-guaranteed, 230 million dollar contract.

Next, there was an HBO documentary on the situation, which included testimony from his accusers. Following that, he suffered a fresh batch of accusations from the New York Times and several additional lawsuits.

Now, with the quarterback settiling most of the remaining cases, it seems there may be light at the end of the tunnel. That said, he still has four civil lawsuits to wrap up as well as an NFL investigation.

The real question that hangs over Watson is whether he will see the field in 2022. We will have to wait for the NFL to wrap up its investigation to find out.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Rich Eisen Show and H/T Sportskeeda.