Browns activate Watson after ban, cut QB Dobbs

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland officially added Deshaun Watson to its 53-man roster Monday, clearing the mode for his Browns debut Sunday against his erstwhile team, the Houston Texans.

The Browns waived backmost Joshua Dobbs successful a corresponding move.

Watson served an 11-game suspension for violating the league's idiosyncratic behaviour argumentation by committing intersexual assault, arsenic defined by the NFL, connected massage therapists. He was besides fined $5 cardinal and has had to acquisition a mandatory attraction program.

Watson's instrumentality Sunday volition people precisely 700 days since helium past played successful a regular-season crippled (with the Texans connected Jan. 3, 2021).

Watson has been accused by much than 2 twelve women of intersexual battle and different inappropriate intersexual misconduct during massage sessions. Over the summer, helium agreed to settee 23 of the 24 lawsuits against him. A 25th suit was dropped by the plaintiff erstwhile the justice ruled that her petition had to beryllium amended with her name. Two different women filed transgression complaints against Watson but did not writer him. On Oct. 13, different pistillate filed a suit against Watson, claiming helium pressured her into oral enactment during a massage league successful 2020.

Two expansive juries successful Texas declined to prosecute transgression charges against Watson earlier this year. Watson has repeatedly denied immoderate wrongdoing and said radical haven't been funny successful proceeding his broadside of the story.

He inactive hasn't spoken publically since his suspension was announced successful August, though helium is expected to aboriginal this week.

The Browns traded for Watson successful March, sending the Texans 3 first-round draught picks. Cleveland besides signed Watson to a five-year woody worthy $230 cardinal guaranteed, the richest declaration successful NFL history.

Watson has been practicing with the Browns since Nov. 16 and has been sitting successful connected squad meetings and moving retired astatine the team's grooming installation since Oct. 10.

Browns manager Kevin Stefanski said Monday that the squad is "excited" to spot him play.

"He's done a bully occupation with his clip away, physically staying sharp, mentally staying sharp," Stefanski said. "I deliberation he'll beryllium acceptable to roll."

Cleveland is 4-7 aft Sunday's overtime triumph implicit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.