Injury prone.
Until he completes a season without a physical setback quarterback Deshaun Watson may be burdened by a reputation at once indicting, insolent and – in all likelihood – inaccurate.
After a high school career without a significant injury, Watson’s sustained three in eight months as a freshman at Clemson, two that limited him to appearances in eight games, three full highlight reels and clips of five others.
His season ended with a win over South Carolina, a testament to his prodigious skill, on a torn knee ligament repaired in surgery 12 days later.
As expected, the first questions earlier this month when practice began were about Watson’s knee and how Clemson intended to protect him against similar recurrences to the collarbone, hand and knee injuries.