Deshaun Watson remains a part of the Houston Texans roster despite not playing, and yet the team cut Zach Cunningham for not meeting standards.
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The Houston Texans are currently going through perhaps the worst season in franchise history. They’re currently 2-10 with no hopes of doing much better throughout the year, and they still have the biggest elephant in the room in the NFL with Deshaun Watson remaining on the active roster.
Things really went south for the Houston Texans last-t0-last offseason when they traded away star receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a washed up running back in David Johnson. That trade, along with several other questionable roster moves, killed the Deshaun Watson-DeAndre Hopkins connection and led to a 4-12 record for Houston. Watson led the league in passing yards but received very little support elsewhere.
That frustration coupled with Watson being left out of some key decisions (finding a new GM and head coach) led to him demanding a trade from the franchise despite just signing a massive extension. Things got even murkier from there as 22 women stepped forward to lay charges on Watson for sexual assault, kickstarting a legal battle that still isn’t over. Watson remains on the Texans’ roster, but he isn’t playing, and there’s no clear solution to his legal situation.
Recently, the Texans also cut star linebacker Zach Cunningham who led the league in tackles last season sparking some heated comments from Houston fans.
Houston Texans fans blast team for cutting Zach Cunningham while keeping Deshaun Watson on roster
Head coach David Culley did attempt to justify why the Texans would cut their best linebacker. Cunningham had been tardy for a Covid-19 test earlier, and Culley felt he simply wasn’t upholding the standards of the team.
As you might be able to guess, fans tore apart this justification. Fans couldn’t believe that Culley was talking about meeting certain standards when the team still employs Deshaun Watson who is effectively being paid not to play.
Houston’s organization is currently in shambles, and it doesn’t look like there’s one, quick and easy fix to clean up all their problems. The Texans are in for a serious rebuild, and it could take several years before they even begin to resemble a competent team again.
However, they also need to focus on the present and address the Deshaun Watson issue. He clearly doesn’t want to be there, and he needs to leave the team ASAP so fan reactions aren’t always centered around him like this. Houston, you have a serious problem. Actually, scratch that, you have serious problems.
