THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
Convincing Deshaun Watson to stay in Houston could come down to this
Jan 25, 2021, 10:50 am
THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
With each passing day, the Deshaun drama thickens. It's progressed to Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeting, basically humbling himself to Deshaun.
I value @deshaunwatson as a player but I respect him even more as a person. I know he loves this City because I have seen how much he has given of himself and his treasure to people in this City. I am humbled to be his Mayor. I hope that won't change anytime soon. st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) January 25, 2021
A city that a few short weeks ago offered up mega star power across the board, has now seen James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and George Springer all depart for a variety of reasons. The impact of Deshaun leaving would be irreversible guaranteeing the Texans resting comfortably in the bottom of the AFC South for the next decade, wallowing in futility.
The saga will only intensify in two weeks should Patrick Mahomes collect another Lombard Trophy. As 2017 draft class contemporaries, Deshaun is comparing his career to #15. Another ring would place Mahomes up 2-0 in that discussion with Watson.
Perhaps the Texans should take a play from the Oilers playbook and inquire on Dabo Swinney. In the pursuit of securing the services of Warren Moon, the Oilers made a power play and secured the services of Moon's former CFL coach, Hugh Campbell. I've attended several luncheons and engagements in which Deshaun served as the keynote speaker. In many of those venues, a short video presentation would include personal greetings and feel good overtures directed to Deshaun from Dabo. The end result was Deshaun lighting up like a Christmas tree. There's a viable relationship in place there.
At the end of the day, Deshaun is a competitor. Losing DeAndre Hopkins was a major loss, but not to the degree that you might think. Deshaun still went out and threw for over 4,000 yards this season, and with a sub-par supporting cast, even pulling guys off of the practice squad in late December contests to fill out the receiving corps. The issue for Watson is trust, and culture. Hence, the recent headlines surrounding the Jets as a future home make very little sense. The Jets in 4 of their last 5 seasons have had double-digit losing seasons. Until the recent resurgence of the Browns, the Jets far and away have held the title of the "laughingstock" of the NFL.
The biggest challenge for the Texans is who could persuade Deshaun to stay? Could team President Jamey Rootes calm down the noise? It certainly won't come from Texans Ring of Honor recipient Andre Johnson. If I were Cal McNair, I would place a call to 105 Sikes Hall in Clemson, SC and ask for Dabo's office. That's as good of a place to start as any other.
According to multiple reports, the Houston Texans are signing offensive tackle Cam Robinson to a 1-year contract.
Free-agent OT Cam Robinson is signing with the Houston Texans, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2025
KPRC2's Aaron Wilson is reporting that the 1-year deal has a max value of $14.5 million.
With Laremy Tunsil now a member of the Commanders, clearly the Texans wanted to add some more talent at the tackle position.
Rookie right tackle Blake Fisher showed some promise last season, but he also had his share of struggles, as one would expect from a first-year player.
This move provides the Texans with flexibility if they choose to play Tytus Howard at guard again, while also giving GM Nick Caserio additional options in the draft.
Many believed the Texans would be locked in on drafting an offensive lineman with their first pick, which they may still do. But now, they can focus on taking the best player available, which could very well be a receiver at No. 25 overall.
Plus, this addition will make the Texans less predictable on draft day when rival teams are trying to predict who Caserio will draft based on Houston's needs.
Robinson started all 17 games last season, splitting time between the Jaguars and the Vikings. The Vikings traded for Robinson after their starting tackle Christian Darrisaw was lost for the season to injury. With Robinson in the last year of his deal and the Jags' season setting up to be another failure, Jacksonville decided to trade their left tackle away. Robinson (age 29) was drafted by the Jaguars in the 2nd round out of Alabama in 2017.
Make no mistake about it, this is a solid pickup by the Texans!