Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been at the center of the offseason’s biggest NFL rumors. The league is currently investigating the 22 lawsuits but has yet to talk to the man at the center of it all, according to Waston’s lawyer. In other news, the Los Angeles Chargers are hoping Justin Herbert can improve the mental side of his game, while wide receiver Robby Anderson says Sam Darnold looks like a different guy with the Carolina Panthers.
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NFL Rumors: Deshaun Watson, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold
The Houston Texans will kick off training camp in just under two months, which means the NFL is running out of time to come to a decision on Deshaun Watson. While the league will almost certainly put him on paid leave until more information comes in, the fact remains that the NFL has yet to talk to the quarterback about the impending suits.
While this may sound bad at first, it isn’t all that uncommon. The accused is usually the last person questioned, as the investigating authority wants to have all readily available before discussing the target of the investigation. While time is running out, the NFL still has a month or two before they need to talk to Watson. With both Watson and the accusers seemingly unwilling to reach a settlement, this matter probably won’t be fully settled for quite some time.
For those that haven’t been keeping up with the latest NFL rumors, Deshaun Watson has had quite an eventful couple of months. After being the subject of trade rumors throughout the early portions of the offseason, Watson was accused of sexual assault by a massage therapist. Since then, Watson is now staring down 22 total civil lawsuits for sexual assault.
Justin Herbert Working On the Mental Game
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is coming off one of the better rookie seasons in recent memory. After starting the season on the bench, the rookie first-round pick took over in Week 2 and never looked back. Demonstrating a rocket arm with pinpoint accuracy, the Oregon product finished his first season by completing 66.6% of his passes for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The quarterback won Rookie of the Year honors and appears to be one of the most promising young players in football.
While physical talent obviously plays a large role in NFL success, the ceiling is defined by mental traits. While speaking to reporters, head coach Brandon Staley said that his goal is to have Herbert master the mental side of the position heading into the season.
Staley believes that Herbert can be one of the NFL’s great quarterbacks, but he won’t be able to get there without an elite understanding of the position. The first-year head coach went on to say that guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are so deadly because “they are the coach”, allowing them to “operate much more effectively.”
The rookie vs. the 🐐.
Justin Herbert and @TomBrady gave us a great QB duel in Week 4. pic.twitter.com/6lnwR0ikIg
— NFL (@NFL) June 12, 2021
Brady and Rodgers have been in the league forever, and expecting Herbert to gain that level of football in his second year is unreasonable. However, if the young quarterback can take the proverbial Year 2 leap, then he could very well be a consensus top-five quarterback at this point next year.
Sam Darnold Has “New Energy”
For the third time in as many years, the Carolina Panthers will have a new face leading the offense. After striking out on Matthew Stafford, Carolina decided to send a second-round pick to New York in exchange for quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold had a rough first three years in the league, but he had one of the worst situations in football. Fortunately, one of his closest teammates believes that the former third-overall pick can bounce back in 2021.
Current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson spent two years with Darnold in New York and already notices a difference in the USC product. Saying that Darnold had “a new energy” that he didn’t have in New York, Anderson believes that the quarterback already feels more comfortable in Carolina than he ever did in New York. According to Anderson, one reason for this could be a “more graspable” offensive system.
SAM DARNOLD IS BACK.
92-yard throw to Robby Anderson for SIX.
(via @NFLonCBS)pic.twitter.com/EisIL1NfTP
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 13, 2019
This news, while encouraging for Panthers fans, should be taken with a grain of salt. These positive stories are everywhere in late June, as everyone in the shape of their lives and ready to bounce back and take the world by storm. The team passed on Justin Fields largely because they already had Darnold on the roster, so they better hope this new aura translates to on-field success.
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