The NFL trade deadline came and went. Deshaun Watson is still a Texan. So are a few others. Despite the predictions of some, there are players who still call Kirby Drive home. Some are frustrated, while others remain calm. I'm one of the ones you can say that has remained calm. It's pretty easy to see what's going on here. Texans general manager Nick Caserio is playing chess, not checkers.

Mark Ingram was traded back to the team that drafted him, the Saints, in what seemed like a favor to Ingram. Charles Omenihu was sent to the 49ers after being a healthy scratch the past few weeks. Both guys were traded for late round picks. Given Caserio's recent history with late round picks, no one is excited about the return because no one knows if Caserio will be able to turn them into anything.

Guys like Justin Reid and Brandin Cooks remain on the roster despite being good enough to command at least a slightly better haul than a couple late round picks. Cooks was rumored to be a veteran the team would like to keep to build around for their culture, despite putting out a tweet that voiced his displeasure over the Ingram trade. Reid is seemingly in line for an extension, as he's a free agent at the end of the season. He could be looked upon as another building block for the future.

Despite all the rumors, chatter, banter, and speculation, it's Watson's trade to a new suitor that remains the elephant in the room. I'm not mad at all about it. Caserio has a value in mind for Watson and is refusing to accept anything less than that. Waiting until the offseason brings up a couple of reasons why playing chess instead of checkers here is a good idea.

For starters, it allows potential suitors to see the quarterbacks in the draft class. None of them are anything to write home about. There's not one quarterback prospect as of this writing anyone can say is a clear-cut top five pick. None of them have shown or proven to be worthy of being a franchise quarterback. Teams at the top of the draft that need a quarterback now would be far more likely to make a deal knowing they can't use their draft pick to land their franchise guy. This scenario also allows the Texans to see where said teams are drafting and who's potentially available at those slots. A team with as many needs/holes as the Texans can benefit from drafting the best player available in every round.

An underrated benefit of waiting is the ability to attain draft picks from three years into the future. The NFL doesn't allow picks to be traded beyond three years out. Waiting allows you to pick up another year's worth of picks from any potential trade partner. Teams like to include future picks in deals when trading for a big time player because they think their record will be good enough that the picks will be low, therefore giving them the upper hand in the deal. I'm all for stockpiling draft picks, especially good ones, but only if the front office can be trusted to rebuild through the draft.

Most think Watson holds all the cards because of his no trade clause. Despite the rumors of him preferring Miami and his insistence on getting out of Houston ASAP, he's still here. Caserio is holding onto him until he sees fit, rather, until he sees the return he's looking for. Kudos to him for not caving under pressure. Now, it's time to focus on the offseason, a potential trade, and what that may look like.