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The Houston Texans seem to think they will win a standoff with quarterback Deshaun Watson. John McClain’s Houston Chronicle knows that the team will not do it.
McClain, who has covered the Texans since his debut in 2002 and the Houston Oilers before that, says it is time for the Texans to trade Watson. McClain’s voice is important; he has been part of Houston’s sports fabric for decades. Your words have an impact. Your voice has an influence. Any Texan fans who still don’t understand and support Watson’s concerns are likely to do so after reading McClain’s column on the subject.
Many national voices have been saying what McClain is currently saying for weeks. It will be much harder for Texans to ignore McClain than for the team to ignore the opinions of strangers.
McClain also claims locally that some have done it nationally: Texans should try to pit Jets against Dolphins for Watson, which could trigger a bidding war that will leave Texans even more for Watson.
However, there are conflicting reports about whether Watson really wants to play for the Jets. The challenge for Watson is to find a new team that, by giving up everything necessary to obtain Watson, does not plunge into a perpetual cycle of 6 to 10 during Watson’s early years. The Dolphins, with third overall choice (from Houston) and second-year defender Tua Tagovailoa, appear to have ammunition to close the deal without compromising the team’s current trajectory.
The Dolphins would also be suitable to admit that, as far as the franchise’s quarterbacks are concerned, Tagovailoa is unlikely to become one.
Whether it’s the Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, 49ers, Panthers or anyone else, McClain is right. Texans need to accept reality and get Watson the best deal now. Over time, interested teams will move on to other options, narrowing the universe of potential Watson destinations. Few doubt that Watson will stay away from the team, which means that Texans need to be prepared not to have Watson this year and not receive anything in return for him, in addition to the $ 20.2 million he lost and / or paid the privilege of. don’t play for Texans.
This money, although hardly ever exchanged, will do nothing to improve a bad team. Shaking up Watson also won’t do much to persuade players to choose Texans.
That is the other issue that Texans should be concerned about. Other players are watching this smoking tank of dysfunction, looking for signs that the Texans are willing and able to admit its rebellious course and turn things around. Establishing a one-season stalemate with Watson is not the way to do this; recognizing responsibility for the deteriorating relationship becomes the first step in persuading others that Texans understand what it takes to start behaving like a normal NFL franchise.
Getting rid of Jack Easterby wouldn’t hurt either. But Texans need to relearn how to walk before relearning how to run.