The Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson remain in a state of limbo together.
Here stands an elite NFL quarterback who is clearly the best option to line up under center for the team in 2021.
Yet he demanded a trade months ago and still has a whole set of pending legal allegations against him.
That is why him being at Texans camp is just so weird.
Deshaun Watson is at Texans practice for the first time in over a week. Here he is talking to GM Nick Caserio. pic.twitter.com/WV1SBg8E7I
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) August 9, 2021
One reason Watson isn’t holding out is because that would involve some hefty fines.
But him showing up and hanging around in the background does the team no good.
The early signs still point toward the team having no intention of him playing, given the fact he isn’t even traveling for the preseason opener.
Texans’ GM Nick Caserio said on SportsRadio 610 in Houston this morning that he does not expect Deshaun Watson to travel to Green Bay this weekend. So Watson unofficially out for Houston’s preseason opener.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 10, 2021
What Is His Playing Future?
It is hard to dive into this situation and figure out what is going on.
If the legal situation was not there, we could assume trades would be much easier to get done.
A report did pop up recently saying the Philadelphia Eagles were close to getting a deal done for Watson.
That seemed to blow up the idea of a trade being impossible, until the report was squashed.
Source says contrary to a report that trade talks between Eagles and Texans for Deshaun Watson are "heating up," they are not.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 5, 2021
But if the report came up in the first place there had to be some rumblings out there.
Yet all this did for the Eagles was cause a potential distraction as Jalen Hurts tries to focus on being the starter in Philadelphia.
Plan For The Texans
Right now it is Tyrod Taylor‘s job to lose in Houston.
Needless to say, expectations are low for the team in 2021.
The best football move for all sides involved is to work things out with Watson and get him back on the field.
But even then, he has made it clear he wants out of town so it is hard for him to stand up as the team leader.
Throw in the disturbing allegations against him and at this point in time he is not a great face of an NFL franchise.
New head coach David Culley was put in an impossible spot in Houston and will do his best to just keep the team focused on football.
Having Watson play at all in the preseason would be a surprise, because it’s not like he needs to prove himself to boost any trade value.
If his playing days in Houston are indeed over, the front office will want to keep him fresh and hope a team gives a giant offer even before the legal situation is resolved.
That may be too much of a dream, but it is about the best option the organization has right now.
NEXT: Conflicting Reports Emerge About Potential Deshaun Watson Trade