Clayton: Could Deshaun Watson be Plan B if Aaron Rodgers isn’t a Bronco?
May 21, 2021, 1:42 PM | Updated: May 24, 2021, 7:10 am
You start to get the feeling the Houston Texans may be seriously thinking about trading Deshaun Watson.
Early on, they signed Tyrod Taylor to be a possible fill-in starter if Watson fulfilled his demand to be traded. Teams called the Texans about Watson, but they didn’t listen to any trade conversation.
The 22 lawsuit against him by female massage therapists naturally is troubling to the franchise.
The more you hear about Watson, the more you hear he might get some kind of suspension even though Houston Police aren’t going to take up the case. The NFL continues to investigate and interview some of the therapists.
Go back to Ben Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension. In 2010, he was suspended when a 20-year-old woman accused him of sexual assault, even though no police charges resulted. The original suspension was six games and the league reduced it to four.
That might be what will happen to Watson.
Will he play this year? Absolutely. The question now is where. He could drop his trade demand and stay in Houston, but no one knows which way that goes.
There is no doubt that the Texans have to be thinking of moving him. Former Texans coach Bill O’Brien traded away their prime draft choices this year. They didn’t have a No. 1 or a No. 2. Their first pick was in the third round.
Instead of helping a defense that lacks talent, they used the 67th choice to selected Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. This week, they signed former Broncos quarterback Jeff Driskell.
Oddsmakers project the Texans as underdogs in all 17 games this season. They did the same for the Detroit Lions. Though Watson is considered the fifth-best quarterback in football, you wonder what teams looking for a starting quarterback would be willing to make a trade for Watson, considering his legal issues.
Naturally, if you are the Broncos, you keep your options open. The Broncos and Washington are about the only teams keeping in touch on quarterbacks.
The preference for the Broncos is clearly Aaron Rodgers. They want him and he wants the Broncos. Still, Watson could be another option. Before the lawsuit surfaced, the Broncos were very interested.
