The next time the Cleveland Browns take the practice field, quarterback Deshaun Watson will be under center.
Beginning on Monday, Watson will be permitted to rejoin his teammates after serving a lengthy suspension as part of his settlement with the NFL. The veteran quarterback had been accused of sexual misconduct by roughly two dozen women during his time with the Houston Texans.
Watson was also fined $5 million.
#Browns have now practiced for the final time without QB Deshaun Watson. He’s permitted to practice again starting next week.
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) November 11, 2022
The Browns acquired Watson from the Texans back in March. The controversial trade saw Cleveland send six total draft picks to Houston, including three first-rounders, in exchange for Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
As part of the deal, Watson was given a five-year, $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed. It was the largest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history.
“I have talked to the guys,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said, via Yahoo! Sports. “We kind of have a plan for that moving forward. Deshaun is a great, great teammate. He has been awesome having him back in the building and in the meetings rooms. That is the next step in this where he can he get out there and practice.”
In Watson’s absence, Jacoby Brissett has performed admirably. But he will now revert to the backup role, which was the plan all along.
Watson last played in Week 17 of the 2020 season.
