Watson’s future as Texans quarterback in limbo
Withquarter back Deshaun Watson relegated to littlemore than a spectator so farin Houston Texans camp, Tyrod Taylor has been running the offense and asserting himself as the team’s leader.
“I definitely feel that guys lookfor me for leadership, and obviously that comes withthe quarterback position, and I welcome that role,” Taylor said.
Though general manager NickCaserio and new coach David Culley won’t say that they’r eplanning to start Taylor this season, everything that’s happened in practices thisweek has shown that they expect Taylor to replace Watson.
Watsonled the NFL in yardspassing last season and signeda four-year, $156 millioncontract extension with theTexans last offseason. But hebecame unhappy with the directionof the team and requesteda trade in January afterthe Texans, who won the AFCSouth in 2018 and ’19, slipped to 4-12 last season.
Hisfuture was further cloudedin March after 22 womenfiled lawsuits allegingthat he sexually assaulted orharassed them. Houston policeand the NFL are investigating the allegations, but nocharges have been filed.
More football
More than half of the 67 NFL players who opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer with the same team. Almost two dozen aren’t on anyone’s roster. Thirty
-three of the players who opted out have returned to open 2021 training camp with their same team. Twenty-nine were waived or released before camps opened, four retired and one was traded. That represents a whopping 50.7% turnover rate for this subset of players, far exceeding the average annual rate of 36.2%.
•San Francisco 49ers defensiveend Nick Bosa, comingback from a torn ACL, said he is optimistic he’ll be readyfor the start of the regularseason.
Baseball
Hector Roa went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Bralin Jackson went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Cam Phelts and Cody Young each added two RBIs as the Washington Wild Things (29-27) beat the visiting Tri -City ValleyCats (28-28), 9-2. Ryan Hennen (7-2) earned the win with 6⅓ solid innings.
Basketball
TheCeltics, Hawks and Kingsagreed to a three-team tradethat saw Tristan Thompsongo to Sacramento, DelonWright go to Atlanta andKris Dunn, Bruno Fernandoand a 2023 secondroundpick head to Boston.
•Milwaukee Bucks generalmanager Jon Horst said GiannisAntetokounmpo doesn’tneed any type of offseason procedure for the left kneethat the two-time MVP hyperextendedduring the team’sNBA title run.
•The Oklahoma City Thunderacquired forward
DerrickFavors and a future first-rounddraft pick from theUtah Jazz in exchange for a2027 second-round pick and cashconsiderations.
Hockey
DavidKrejci is leaving the BostonBruins after 14 NHL seasonsto continue his hockeycareer in his native CzechRepublic. “At this pointin my career and life, I needto return to the Czech Republicand play in front of myfamily who sacrificed so muchto help me achieve my NHLdreams,” Krecji said.
Colleges
TheNCAA Board of Governorscalled for a constitutionalconvention in November,the first step toward launchingdramatic reform inhow the sprawling, multibillion-dollar enterprise of collegesports is governed for yearsto come. In the wake of astinging loss in the SupremeCourt and radical changesto the way athletes canbe compensated — and withCollege Football Playoff expansionand major conferencerealignment already in motion— the NCAA said it wantsto “reimagine” how it managesthe needs of its morethan 450,000 athletes.