Former Tiger linebacker DJ Ryder, who now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, knows what his team will face twice a season now, aside from this year’s suspension for Watson.
“They’ve improved a lot,” Reeder said of Cleveland during an interview on the Cincinnati website. “He’s a really good player. He was like Michael Jordan that time.”
Reader was a member of the 2015 Clemson Team, which was the first team in program history to reach the College Football Playoff. The Tigers won 14 games that year and lost to Alabama in a national championship game in Glendale, Arizona.
Watson had a stellar season, passing for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushing for 1,105 yards and 12 more hits while reaching the Heisman Cup Finals. The following season, Watson went on to lead the Tigers to a national title, the program’s first since 1981.
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Ryder, who had eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss in 2015, played two seasons with Watson before being featured in the fifth round in 2016 by the Houston Texans. The duo reunited the following season when Texas took over Watson in the first round as the quarterback, and they helped Houston make the NFL playoffs in 2018 and 2019.
“This is my brother,” said Reeder. “I love Deshawn.” “He made some special memories for me as a player watching him. Being on the other side, I’ve been fortunate to play with some really good midfielders lately.”
Reader signed a free agent deal with the Bengals in 2020 and helped lead them to the Super Bowl this past season when he had 12 tackles and a sack in the playoffs.
Watson hasn’t played in the NFL since 2020. He requested a deal from the Texans in early 2021 but was then subjected to 22 civil lawsuits for inappropriate behavior and sexual assault. Once it became clear that he would not face criminal charges, the Texans sent him to Cleveland, to which Watson had signed, in March to obtain a raft of enlistment choices.
Watson could still face an NFL penalty in 2022, but that has become unlikely. If qualified, Watson would immediately start for Browns, replacing former first-choice pick Baker Mayfield and joining a division with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson playing the middle.
The Browns are pegged with the Ravens at +200 as the favorites to win the AFC North Cup while the Bengals are right behind them at +210, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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