The status of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has not changed. Watson is still accused of a slew of misconducts off the field in relation to over twenty massage therapists. There is no traction towards the cases leveed against him coming to a close in any fashion — as legal representation on both sides appears to be dug in on terms regarding any potential settlement.
And yet because of the timeline of the NFL calendar and the regular season looming, there is renewed rumors that Watson will be moved in the days to come. And according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Dolphins are once again closely tied to Watson as a potential destination. Robinson has declared the Dolphins as the “frontrunner”.
Thread. Sources tell @yahoosports the #Dolphins have emerged as the frontrunner in trade discussions with the #Texans for QB Deshaun Watson. The Texans are seeking 3 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in negotiations, according to a team that dropped out of trade talks.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 28, 2021
This rumor has been backed by a report from former 30+ year Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero, who recently transitioned to Outkick for his NFL coverage. Salguero released his own report within an hour of Robinson’s initial comment:
“The Dolphins, meanwhile, remain open to acquiring Watson for the right price.
The Dolphins are willing to risk acquiring a quarterback who may not be available to them even this year because Watson is obviously very good and won’t turn 26 for another two weeks.
But, again, there is a limit for the Dolphins and so far they have not come sufficiently close to accepting Houston’s asking price.” — Armando Salguero, Outkick
This latest surge in the rumor mill comes despite some quality play from the incumbent quarterback in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa was efficient in his second (and final) preseason showing of the summer against the Atlanta Falcons — and seemingly any time the Watson rumors of a trade come back to the surface, Tagovailoa’s presence is an afterthought as the Dolphins continue to be tied to the conversation.
Trading for Watson makes the Miami Dolphins a better football team, sure. But at what cost? Watson has yet to be proven guilty of the allegations leveed against him, but the number of accusers is overwhelming and the severity of the accusations can not and should not be marginalized. Forget about the cost of a trade itself; it’s really secondary to the bigger question at hand: whether or not a potential acquisition of Watson would dissolve much, if not all, of the goodwill the Dolphins have built up as a positive beacon in the South Florida community?
This is a complicated situation, but that is exactly why logic has suggested that we won’t see Watson this season until his legal issues are closed and any potential discipline he must serve (legally and within the NFL) is complete. But according to Robinson’s report, the Dolphins (alongside other potential team destinations) have “angled for pick protections”.
Sources said teams have angled for pick protections in any trade, to mitigate a potential #NFL suspension or criminal prosecution tied to ongoing investigations by the FBI, Harris County prosecutor and Houston PD, into sexual assault allegations from multiple women.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 28, 2021
The saying is that deadlines spur action and in the case of this ongoing situation, the latest deadline is the start of the 2021 NFL season. That comes on September 9th for two teams but September 12th for both the Dolphins and Texans; so perhaps further clarity and, potentially a resolution, could be around the corner.