Texans HC Lovie Smith 'can't wait' for Deshaun Watson situation to 'speed up'

The much-discussed future of Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson will likely remain in limbo at least until the grand-jury situation regarding the 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct and 10 criminal complaints he's facing has been resolved one way or another. 

Watson didn't play for the Texans last season following his offseason trade request that came well before Lovie Smith was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach last month. Smith recently remarked that "time will take care of" Watson's status "with a favorable situation for Deshaun and us," and the coach again found himself talking about the biggest unknown hovering over the club on Wednesday. 

"I know Deshaun is an excellent football player," Smith explained, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Excellent football players need to be playing somewhere in the NFL. Hopefully, that’ll happen, and if it’s not with us, somewhere else. As I see it, both of us, eventually, are going to benefit from the situation, I just can’t wait for that to speed up a little bit."

Smith said last week that 2021 third-round draft pick Davis Mills is currently his QB1. Meanwhile, it's unclear if Watson will be suspended or placed on the commissioner's exempt list for any portion of the 2022 season.