EVERY-THING SPORTS
Here are the underrated benefits of Texans holding off on a Deshaun Watson trade
Nov 3, 2021, 12:29 pm
EVERY-THING SPORTS
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.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!