If Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is available, plenty of teams would want him
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson calls a play against the Titans in the first half of an NFL game on Dec. 15, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Mark Zaleski
Of course Deshaun Watson is upset. After all of the Texans’ missteps in the last two years, why wouldn’t he be incensed to the point that speculation is rampant that he eventually will ask to be traded?
The Texans have devolved into a sea of dysfunction, with key decisions going awry at every turn. That leaves Watson with no choice but to wonder about his future in Houston.
Team owner Cal McNair made two colossal missteps with coach Bill O’Brien, first by giving him final say on all personnel decisions (never a good move for a coach unless your name is Bill Belichick) and then by firing O’Brien after four games this season.
O’Brien as general manager was a huge mistake, as evidenced by the 2019 trade of two first-round picks for Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills and his trade of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in 2020.
McNair also panicked when he fired O’Brien after the team got off to an 0-4 start. But O’Brien the coach had been mostly successful during his run in Houston, getting the Texans to the playoffs four times since the 2015 season and overseeing Watson’s development into a Pro Bowl quarterback.
There were more questionable decisions this past week, with the Texans bypassing the chance to interview Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in their coaching search. A Bieniemy-Watson partnership had appealed to the quarterback, and while it’s bad precedent for a player to drive his team’s hiring decisions, the Texans’ unwillingness to so much as interview Bieniemy is mind-boggling.
Add to the mix the hiring of former Belichick lieutenant Nick Caserio, who developed a solid reputation in New England but did not have final say over personnel decisions, as he will in Houston. Caserio was hired despite not appearing on a list of candidates recommended by a search firm hired by McNair, son of the late Texans owner and founder Robert McNair. It is widely believed that Jack Easterby, who joined the Texans last year in a front-office capacity after serving as a character coach in New England, was behind Caserio’s hiring.
Caserio on Friday referred to Watson as "our quarterback" and spoke glowingly of a player who signed a four-year, $156 million contract before the 2020 regular season. But when pressed about whether Watson might be traded, Caserio said it was "important for us to take some time" and added that he planned to speak with the quarterback.
Watson has not commented publicly since Caserio’s hiring or after word surfaced that Bieniemy wasn’t on the team’s list of prospective coaches.
I do believe the Texans will end up keeping Watson. He clearly is their most valuable player and at 25 will remain one of the league’s premier quarterbacks for another dozen years. But stranger things have happened, and if the depths of Watson’s misgivings about the team remain, Houston might move on.
And if that’s the case, a slew of teams would be willing to give up a king’s ransom for an elite quarterback.
That would — and should — include the Jets, who have a combined four first-round picks in the next two years and might be ready to move on from Sam Darnold. No decision will be made by general manager Joe Douglas before the team hires a new coach, but Watson would provide an immediate upgrade at the team’s most important position.
The Giants? They’re committed to Daniel Jones for at least the 2021 season, so I don’t see it happening.
Other teams that almost certainly would be in the mix:
* New England, which likely will move on from Cam Newton.
* Washington, which needs a long-term replacement for Alex Smith.
* San Francisco, where Watson would be an upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo.
* Chicago, which saw modest improvement from Watson’s 2017 draft classmate Mitchell Trubisky but not enough to consider him a shoo-in for a long-term contract.
* Indianapolis, where Philip Rivers was on a one-year deal.
* Pittsburgh, where Ben Roethlisberger is in the twilight of his career.
* Philadelphia, which may move on from Carson Wentz but likely wouldn’t have the draft capital or salary-cap space to make that a reality.
* Throw in the Falcons, Lions, Vikings and Saints, and you get the idea of just how valuable Watson truly is.
Which is why the Texans need to figure it out and make sure Watson remains a part of their future.
Eagles did Giants a favor
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson watches play against the Cowboys in the second half of an NFL game in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 27. 2020. Credit: AP/Michael Ainsworth
Final thoughts on the Eagles’ 20-14 loss to Washington last Sunday that kept the Giants from reaching the playoffs:
- The decision by Doug Pederson to lift starter Jalen Hurts in the fourth quarter and replace him with longtime backup Nate Sudfeld was a bad look in every way. It essentially ensured that Washington would win, although the Eagles still might have lost with Hurts. Let’s remember he was 7-for-20 for 72 yards and one interception before being lifted. Even so, it didn’t pass the smell test and understandably left some hard feelings with the Giants and coach Joe Judge, who excoriated Pederson without naming him by vowing that the Giants would never have done such a thing.
- But Judge and Giants players were right when they accepted the blame for not making the playoffs. After all, when you go 6-10, you are simply not in a position to complain about what others do in your quest to become the team with the worst record in NFL history to reach the postseason. And Judge might want to think twice about getting in another coach’s business, because he might find himself in a similar circumstance down the road.
- In the end, Pederson did the Giants a favor because of the loss. Had the Giants made the playoffs — where they likely would not have won even one game and had little chance of accomplishing much — they would have earned the 19th overall draft pick. And it would have been even worse if they’d won a playoff game. Instead, they have the 11th choice, which could mean the difference between finding an elite receiver to give Jones a much-needed target or settling for a lesser talent eight picks later.
- Pederson certainly has a mess at quarterback moving forward after his benching of starter Carson Wentz, the so-so performance of Hurts filling in and the timing of last Sunday’s quarterback change. He’ll have to hope Wentz can show improvement in 2021, because this team is locked into him due to burdensome salary-cap considerations in the event of a trade. But Pederson certainly wasn’t hurt in terms of draft positioning; by losing, the Eagles have the sixth overall choice. If they’d won this meaningless game, it would have been the ninth pick.
Roethlisberger can move up the charts
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passes against the Ravens during the first half of an NFL game on Dec. 2, 2020, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Don Wright
In any other season, Roethlisberger would have a shot at Comeback Player of the Year. That coveted award no doubt will go to Washington quarterback Smith — and deservedly so — who returned from a life-threatening lower-leg injury in 2018 to lead his team to the playoffs.
But Roethlisberger has acquitted himself well in coming back from season-ending elbow surgery in 2019. And if he beats the Browns in Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game at Heinz Field, he will tie Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Peyton Manning with 14 career playoff victories. Roethlisberger currently is tied with Brett Favre.
Entering this year’s playoffs, Tom Brady had 30 playoff wins — a record that may never be broken — and Joe Montana had 16.
Ravens-Titans, Part II
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff game against the Titans on Jan. 11, 2020, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Nick Wass
The Titans pulled off a stunning upset of the No. 1-seeded Ravens last year, with All-Pro running back Derrick Henry rushing for 195 yards in a 28-12 win in Baltimore. The playoff rematch will take place Sunday in Tennessee as 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson tries to recover from a major disappointment in last year’s loss — his second postseason defeat in a row.
He’s anxious to change the conversation.
"I’m definitely trying to erase that narrative right there," he said of the criticism that he hasn’t won a playoff game yet. "That’s the No. 1 right now in my mind, for sure."
How does it happen?
"Just focus, focus on the task at hand," he said. "Don’t try to make things happen right away. Just take your time. And I thought that’s what I did a little throughout [last year’s playoff] game — just trying to do too much."
Tennessee beat Baltimore, 30-24, in the regular season, but the Ravens haven’t lost since, finishing the season with a five-game winning streak. Jackson has a combined 11 touchdown passes and three interceptions in that run, as well as 430 rushing yards and four touchdowns, recapturing his MVP form after a 6-5 start.
Henry comes off a monster regular season with 2,027 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns — the fifth-most rushing yards in a single season. With at least 150 rushing yards against the Ravens, Henry can tie Hall of Famer Terrell Davis for the most playoff games (four) with at least 150 yards.
Around the league
The Raiders signed Jon Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million contract in 2018. In three seasons, he is a combined 19-29 . . . Good to see that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who suffered a horrific knee injury on Nov. 22 in Washington, will be ready for training camp. Burrow suffered ACL and MCL tears. Now, if only the Bengals can get him some much-needed offensive line help to improve his pass protection . . . Former Jets receiver Robby Anderson had his first 1,000-yard season (1,079) with Carolina, but his three touchdowns were his fewest since he scored two as a Jets rookie in 2016 . . . The Falcons might be in for a complete overhaul depending on the coach and GM hires, with team owner Arthur Blank keeping open the possibility that Julio Jones or Matt Ryan — or both — could be traded . . . Kyler Murray had shoulder and knee issues late in the season, and his production showed it. In his first 10 games before hurting his shoulder against the Seahawks, he had 19 touchdown passes, eight interceptions and 619 rushing yards. In his last six, including a game against the Giants in which he strained his knee, he had only seven touchdown passes, four interceptions and 200 rushing yards. Murray said publicly that neither injury was a factor in his performance.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
