As we all are fully aware of by now, Deshaun Watson is embroiled in some litigation revolving around sexual misconduct, and possibly sexual assault, allegations in some twenty-two civil lawsuits filed against him. If the timeline holds true, his accusers will be deposed in September, but Watson himself won't be deposed until February 2022. This means Watson may not be available for the media for public comment until after he's deposed in 2022.

Could Watson's situation be the reasoning behind the media blackout of Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills? Given that Watson's situation with the team is in flux (sexual misconduct/assault allegations and civil suits), you'd think the media would've heard from the two most prominent quarterbacks the team has brought in by now, right? Wrong! The Texans have kept Taylor and Mills away from the media strategically. Given the situation with Watson and how head coach David Culley and general manager Nick Caserio have handled it so far, it's really no surprise why they haven't allowed their other quarterbacks to speak with the media.

Culley and Caserio haven't exactly been pillars of confidence when it comes to media relations in their tenure so far. Neither has projected enough confidence or truthfulness so far in my opinion. Both have had gaffes that have turned into soundbites. They have often sounded like two guys that are in their first year on their respective jobs despite being in and around the league for decades. So why have they chosen to hide Taylor and Mills from the media thus far?

One thought could be that they're trying to avoid either guy saying anything alluding to either of them being the presumptive starter. Given the fact that the team more than likely knows more about Watson's case than what they're alluding to, that info could have been passed along inside the building. If that info has trickled down in some way, shape, or form to Taylor and/or Mills, they may be liable to spill some beans the team doesn't want spilled before they're ready to have said info out there.

For example: what if the team knows the true severity of the situation and likelihood of it getting resolved any time soon. Do you think they want it known that they'll be without Watson for the upcoming season? Also, any knowledge they have that may shed a more negative light on the situation and potentially hurt Watson's trade value would only do more harm than what's already been done. In light of the fact that Watson asked for a trade just before the allegations dropped, the Texans would want to keep any negative info tight to the vest.

So when could we expect to hear from the other quarterbacks on the roster? My best guess would be during training camp. Typically, players are made available to the media after training camp practices. If Watson's situation has or hasn't been resolved by then, it'll be hard to hide Taylor and Mills, especially if either is taking most of the first team reps at practice. The media will be able to see as much and will hopefully ask questions. My only trepidation about this is how soft most of the media is that covers sports in this town. They're so used to sucking up to teams and players in order to keep their access and get autographed jerseys, that they tend to leave out the tough questions. This will all play out eventually. Hopefully we'll get a more detailed answer sooner rather than later.