HOUSTON — The Texans cut their active roster down to 53 players Tuesday and quarterback Deshaun Watson remains on it.
Watson, who is not expected to play for the Texans in 2021, will likely be a healthy scratch on game days if he stays on Houston’s 53-man roster. The Texans are prepared to keep Watson on their roster for the rest of the season, a source told ESPN.
Watson currently faces 22 active civil lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, but has not been restricted from taking part in team activities by the NFL. The quarterback also requested a trade in January because he was not happy with the direction of the franchise and the process used to hire general manager Nick Caserio.
To avoid being fined $50,000 a day during training camp, Watson reported in July. He was in and out of practice during August, sometimes working out and stretching on one of the side fields with a trainer. Head coach David Culley said Watson is not injured and doing “what we ask him to do” while he’s at the team facility.
Watson did not travel to either of the Texans’ preseason games and was not on the sideline for the preseason finale at home.
As long as Watson is on the roster, the Texans will pay his $10.5 million salary in 2021.
The Texans also have quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and rookie Davis Mills on their roster.
“I’ve said from Day 1 that Deshaun is a part of this team and we’ll continue to handle business accordingly,” Taylor said recently. “Like I said, he’s a friend of mine. He’s a teammate of mine. And we’re all in it to put our best foot forward and to do whatever it takes to help the team win. And that shows and that comes in different roles on this team and we’ll all do our part to make sure that everyone’s on board.”