Watson homecoming; Bears-Pack reunion hilite draft sched … NFL teams normally don’t like distraction, but maybe a little distraction is what Houston needs as the 1-9-1 Texans, who will have the #1 pick overall at the 2023 draft if nothing much changes between now and the end of the season, are essentially two games clear of everyone else at the bottom of the league standings. The Texans, though, will get plenty of distraction today when they host Cleveland in the return to action of former Texans’ QB Deshaun Watson who they traded to the Browns last winter. Of course, Watson hasn’t been playing until this week as he has been serving a multiple game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct code after almost two dozen female masseuses accused him of sexual misconduct. Ironically, a win over the Browns could actually help the Texans draft situation as they would still have the #1 pick overall, while Cleveland’s top pick, which the Texans got in the Watson trade, would increase in value with a Browns’ loss. Meanwhile, Chicago, which currently sits on the 2nd pick overall, appears to have a chance today against struggling Green Bay, which would also have a top ten pick (#8) if the draft were held this week. Both teams, though, will have their starting QBs after both Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and the Bears’ Justin Fields were listed as questionable earlier in the week. One team that won’t have their starter at QB are the LA Rams who placed Matt Stafford on IR this week; the Rams who are sitting on the 4th pick which they traded to Detroit in the deal to get Stafford, will be hosting Seattle later today. And if that wasn’t bad enough for the Rams, they’ll also be without star DT Aaron Donald, who will miss the first game of his career today. Elsewhere, Denver, which sits on the 3rd pick overall which now belongs to Seattle, will be at Baltimore and#6 New Orleans, whose top pick belongs to Philadelphia, will be at Tampa Bay, while #5 Carolina and #7 Arizona have their byes.
