Assuming the Indianapolis Colts fill their remaining roster holes — left tackle and defensive end stick out the most — before the start of training camp, they should absolutely be considered the favorites to win the AFC South next season.
It goes without saying that Tennessee, which has enjoyed a sneakily-efficient offseason despite losing some key pieces, will present the greatest challenge for the division crown.
With that being said, last season proved that Houston and Jacksonville won’t be pushovers, especially after the Jaguars upset Indianapolis to kick off the campaign.
However, this year might be a different story with regards to the Texans as superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson is still neck deep in sexual assault lawsuits and doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to out of the woods yet.
In fact, the latest update on his troubling situation suggests he’s staring down the barrel of at least a multi-game suspension.
Per attorney Tony Buzbee, the representative of the women who are suing Watson, nine of the accusers have agreed to publicly reveal their respective identities, which feels like a big loss for the QB’s representation.
A judge has now ruled that 12 of Deshaun Watson’s accusers from today's second hearing must publicly reveal their identity if they plan to move forward with the lawsuits. They have two business days to refile. Attorney Tony Buzbee said 9 out of the 12 have agreed.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 9, 2021
It’s not looking good for Deshaun Watson based on the latest update regarding his sexual assault allegations.
Doesn’t it feel like the Texans are screwed here? The Pro Bowl quarterback made up his mind about wanting a trade this offseason. Then, however, these allegations surfaced and grew in number seemingly with each passing day before ultimately capping out at 22 for the time being.
Assuming this situation isn’t resolved prior to the draft, which is less than three weeks away, there’s really no way Watson doesn’t remain in Houston for another season.
While the front office has been outspoken against trading him, the fact that he’ll likely end up staying only to potentially miss a handful of games via suspension might actually be the worst-case scenario for the Texans.
Based on where these allegations are headed, we’d be shocked if the NFL didn’t look to send a message to the rest of the league in the form of suspending Watson, regardless of whether he’s guilty of everything he’s being accused of.
After all, Watson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin admitted during his Friday press conference that some of the massages arranged morphed into consensual encounters before later clarifying that the five-year pro never engaged in acts that weren’t “mutually desired.”
Deshaun Watson's lawyer said Friday there were some "consensual encounters" between the Texans quarterback and some of the women who have filed lawsuits against him, but said Watson never engaged in any acts that were not "mutually desired." https://t.co/NG9V7jQZbk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2021
This isn’t us jumping to conclusions about whether Watson is guilty or not. It’s just difficult to picture a scenario in which his reputation isn’t tainted in some capacity by the time this is all settled, even if he’s eventually cleared off all of his accusations.
Speaking just in terms of the Texans, however, Colts fans can definitely take solace in the fact that their division rival’s superstar quarterback looks anything but a sure thing to play the full 17-game slate next season.
Based on how close their two meetings were last season — both were decided by in the waning moments of regulation — that is a huge win for Indianapolis.
Colts season saved by Deshaun Watson fumble on potential game-winning drive
The Indianapolis Colts pulled off a wild win over the Houston Texans when Deshaun Watson mishandled the snap and turned the ball over in the final minute.