Sources: QB Watson shows 'progress' in program

As portion of the conditions that enabled Cleveland Browns backmost Deshaun Watson to beryllium reinstated and beryllium capable to play Sunday against the Houston Texans, helium has made what NFL and NFLPA experts person described arsenic "signs of progress" during his mandatory attraction program, per league sources.

Though his 11-game suspension is present over, Watson is expected to stay successful his attraction programme with nary extremity day successful show astatine this time, sources told ESPN.

"He's been progressing good and helium wants to proceed with it, and they consciousness it's helping him," 1 root connected to Watson's attraction programme said. "It's conscionable benignant of ongoing arsenic needed and it'll beryllium ongoing until it's not needed anymore. And I deliberation it's fixed him a batch of assistance and support. But this could instrumentality a while."

The programme is considered confidential, and Watson did not shed airy connected his attraction past week. He declined to code his attraction during his quality league past week starring up to his instrumentality to play, but arsenic 1 root pointed out, his "clinician said helium shouldn't remark connected his attraction programme and he's not allowed to get into his ineligible situation."

Watson was suspended 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 instrumentality portion successful the mandatory attraction programme that sources judge has aided him. Watson has been accused by much than 2 twelve women of intersexual battle and different inappropriate intersexual misconduct during massage sessions. Over the summer, Watson 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.

Watson, who wasn't charged criminally, has repeatedly denied immoderate wrongdoing and said radical haven't been funny successful proceeding his broadside of the story. He declined to spell into immoderate questions extracurricular of shot this past week, and present his Browns debut volition travel precisely 700 days since helium past played successful a regular-season crippled with the Texans connected Jan. 3, 2021.

Some judge the NFL intentionally suspended Watson 11 games truthful that his instrumentality could travel successful Houston, which could supply accrued TV ratings. But this crippled volition beryllium broadcast to lone 7% of the country, with play-by-play announcer Spiro Dedes and expert Jay Feely calling the game.

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 returned to enactment successful signifier with the Browns connected Nov. 16 and has been allowed to beryllium successful connected squad meetings and enactment retired astatine the team's grooming installation since Oct. 10. He volition go the sixth backmost successful the past 15 seasons to marque his debut against the squad helium past played for, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and the 3rd to bash it this season, joining Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson.