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Dolphins GM: Door Shut On Deshaun Watson

March 2nd, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The runaway leaders in last year’s Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, the Dolphins have officially bowed out. GM Chris Grier confirmed Wednesday the “door is shut” on a trade for the Texans’ star quarterback, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets.

Grier endorsed Tua Tagovailoa‘s progress ahead of his third season, following new HC Mike McDaniel in that regard. With the Dolphins being the only team for which Watson waived his no-trade clause, this opens up the playing field. Watson, of course, remains embroiled in the off-field scandals that have thrown his career off course. The timetable for resolutions in Watson’s civil and criminal cases remains murky, with a lengthy NFL suspension perhaps looming.

Buzz about the Dolphins acquiring Watson amid his off-field trouble intensified ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, when they were the only team left standing. Watson did not waive his no-trade clause for the Eagles or Panthers at that point. Stephen Ross was believed to have pushed Grier and Co. for weeks to finalize a Watson deal, but the Dolphins wanted conditions attached to the draft picks exchanged in the swap. No deal came to pass, and it has now been more than a year since Watson’s trade request surfaced.

Watson was reported to be interested in the Buccaneers and Vikings as destinations, and the Panthers — who showed considerable interest before the accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault emerged — still loom for the ex-Clemson superstar.

The Dolphins targeted Tagovailoa for over a year and were in position to land him due to the hip injury sustained late in the southpaw’s Alabama career. Of course, the Dolphins tried to pivot to Joe Burrow, offering the Bengals three first-rounders to move up in 2020, but were rebuffed. This QB pursuit has emerged in Flores’ lawsuit, which accused Ross of offering six-figure payments for 2019 losses.

The team will aim to move past these major headlines and build around Tagovailoa, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency as a pro. The Dolphins, however, saw receiver unavailability and a bottom-tier offensive line hinder Tua’s development last season. The Watson pursuit almost certainly affected the passer as well. It seems the Dolphins will try to give their starter a legitimate chance to succeed next season.

Texans Open To Re-Signing S Justin Reid

March 1st, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

After starting 53 games for the Texans over the past four seasons, Justin Reid is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career. If the Texans have their way, they’ll re-sign the 25-year-old safety.

“I’ve talked to his representatives, we’ve had some dialogue,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said today (via Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com). “I’m certainly open to bringing Justin back. Justin is a good player. He’s well thought of around the league. I know he has a lot of respect for Lovie. He had an opportunity to play in his system. If he has an opportunity to come back here, it’s another year in the same system.

“Free agency is free agency, so the market dictates where players fit and how they fall. We’ll evaluate everything. Justin is a good player and he’s done a lot of good things for the team and in the community so we’ll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks.”

One source told Wilson that Reid is expected to have a “healthy enough market” when he hits free agency, with the Bears, Eagles, and Ravens mentioned as potential suitors. In fact, the league source believed the market for the safety could be so robust that it’d be “financially inadvisable” for the player to stick around Houston. However, the promotion of Lovie Smith could be a “game-changer” when it comes to Reid’s mentality heading into free agency.

The younger brother of Eric Reid, Justin Reid was a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2018. He’s spent his entire four year career with the Texans, snagging seven interceptions and collecting 23 passes defended. This included a 2021 campaign where Reid started all 13 games and collected 66 tackles and two picks.

Latest On Texans OL Tytus Howard, Team’s OL Plans

February 27th, 2022 at 9:44am CST by Rory Parks

Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard, a 2019 first-round pick, spent the first two years of his career almost exclusively at right tackle. In 2021, he was shifted inside to left guard, and he played 11 games there, but he also suited up for four games at left tackle due to an injury to starting LT Laremy Tunsil. As Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle writes, Howard’s role for the 2022 campaign remains unclear.

Per Pro Football Focus, Howard was much more effective at left tackle (73.75 pass-blocking grade) than left guard (47.7). However, former OC Tim Kelly and OL coach James Campen both praised Howard for his versatility and indicated he was improving as a guard, and new OL coach George Warhop concurs.

“I thought he did a nice job at guard,” Warhop said. “I mean, so to have that flexibility going into the season, to manage to get the five best on the field, I think that’s good for us.”

Assuming the Texans really do think Howard can be effective outside or on the interior, his versatility gives GM Nick Caserio a little more flexibility with his offseason strategies. Tunsil has been mentioned as a trade candidate, and Kubena confirms that the two-time Pro Bowler could be on the move, which would add more draft ammo to a stockpile that could become seriously impressive if Caserio is able to deal QB Deshaun Watson. Houston would then be able to slide Howard to LT — which was the intent when he was originally drafted — and would not necessarily have to use a high draft choice or FA dollars on an immediate Tunsil replacement.

On the other hand, as Kubena notes, Max Scharping and Justin McCray are the only interior linemen aside from Howard who started at least one game last year and who remain under contract through 2022. So depending on how the Texans’ offseason shakes out, the club may have no choice but to keep Howard at LG.

One way or another, Caserio will have to make a decision on Howard’s fifth-year option no later than May 2. If exercised, that option would lock in a $12.735MM fully-guaranteed salary for 2023, and while that sum would be more than reasonable for a starting-caliber LT, Howard’s small sample size at that position in the pros and his general lack of effectiveness at RT and LG seem to indicate that 2022 will serve as his contract year.

Latest On Texans, Deshaun Watson

February 25th, 2022 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

A Deshaun Watson deal might not be too far off. Multiple teams are willing to trade for the embattled quarterback before his civil suits are settled, according to a source who spoke with PFT. 

[RELATED: Texans’ Reid Open To Re-Signing]

Still, these clubs have indicated that they won’t trade for Watson until his “criminal situation” is resolved. The Houston Police Department has not charged Watson with any crimes, though they haven’t ruled out the possibility either.

The Dolphins likely would have traded for Watson last year if his civil suits were put to rest. For what it’s worth, the Panthers were reportedly willing to deal for Watson, though the QB declined to drop his no-trade clause for them. This week, we learned that the Panthers are still interested, but it’s not clear if Watson’s stance has softened.

The Eagles could also get involved in the coming weeks. Philly GM Howie Roseman — who is never bashful about swinging a big trade — has done extensive homework on Watson. He’s also armed with plenty of trade chips, including three first-round picks in this year’s draft.

Meanwhile, Watson is also open to joining the Buccaneers and Vikings. In Tampa, Watson would be a compelling replacement for Tom Brady — at least, from a talent perspective. In Minnesota, the fit isn’t quite as clear given the presence and contract of Kirk Cousins. As it stands, Cousins has one year to go on his deal with $35MM in base pay with an even larger $45MM cap hit.

Justin Reid Open To Re-Signing With Texans

February 25th, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

According to a recent report, the Texans expect Justin Reid to sign elsewhere this offseason. But, for his part, the safety says he’s open to staying in Houston (Twitter link via SiriusXM). 

[RELATED: Texans Looking To Trade Down From No. 3 Pick?]

The 25-year-old is “not opposed to the idea of staying” with the Texans, though he stopped short of any guarantees. Last season, David Culley benched Reid for a game, citing a violation of team rules. Reid didn’t take kindly to that, but Culley has since been replaced by new head coach Lovie Smith.

“Honestly, it made a bigger impact than I would have thought it would have,” said Reid. “I didn’t know he was in the running [but] I think he’s more than qualified. He’s done it before, he’s been to a Super Bowl and he gets guys to play hard for him…I actually have a deep love and respect for [Smith], his coaching philosophy, [and] the way he’s able to get the best out of his players.”

As far as Reid is concerned, the Smith hire was a “tremendous move” for GM Nick Caserio & Co. So, if the Texans are willing to make him a competitive offer, he’s willing to listen.

Given his age and past performance, Reid should garner a fair amount of attention. Teams may be more focused on the rest of the safety class which features Tyrann Mathieu, Jessie Bates, and Quandre Diggs, but the Stanford product would come at a much lower rate. On the flipside, teams may be concerned about his injury history, which includes a wrist ailment in 2021 and labrum surgery in 2020.

For his career, Reid has 315 tackles to his credit with seven total interceptions. He also upped his pass coverage this year with an improved completion rate of 53%.

Texans Looking To Trade Out Of No. 3 Pick?

February 25th, 2022 at 10:54am CST by Adam La Rose

With a new head coach and, seemingly, a quarterback successor to Deshaun Watson in place, the Texans could be set up to begin moving forward in a new direction. Acquiring draft capital will be central to their offseason plans, which could include, as ESPN’s Sarah Barshop writes, trading out of the third-overall pick in this April’s draft. 

At the start of the offseason, Barshop notes, Texans GM Nick Caserio “hinted” that the team could trade out of the No. 3 slot to add more picks. In a year without sure-fire prospects at the top of the board, not to mention the numerous holes on the roster of a team that has posted four wins in each of the last two seasons, a case could certainly be made in favor of moving down.

If things go according to plan, the Texans will have dealt Watson by the time the draft begins. New head coach Lovie Smith made it clear the team intends to move the 26-year-old before the start of the new league year. He has also publicly supported third-round rookie QB Davis Mills, who is likely to be the team’s starter heading into the 2022 campaign. The Watson situation is still centered around the civil suit against him, tough, delays in which could push any resolution deeper into the offseason.

Of course, any Watson trade would likely land the Texans significant draft capital. The same could hold true, as Barshop adds, if the team were to deal veterans such as left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wideout Brandin Cooks in the name of getting younger and less expensive as a team. If the organization wants to fully commit in that direction, one key element will be their decision with that top pick.

Texans Open To Keeping Tyrod Taylor

February 24th, 2022 at 7:35pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Texans are behind Davis Mills as their starter, but they are interested in keeping Tyrod Taylor around. Taylor impressed Houston’s coaching staff during his first Texans season, Fowler adds. Taylor signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal to work as a starter during Deshaun Watson‘s time away from the team. Mills supplanted Taylor, continuing a familiar routine for the ex-Bills starter, but it sounds like his relationship with new OC Pep Hamilton — Taylor’s position coach with the Chargers in 2020 — is solid enough it could well lead to another year of QB2 work in Houston.

Texans Don’t Expect To Re-Sign S Justin Reid

February 24th, 2022 at 9:53am CST by Adam La Rose

The safety class could feature quite a few notable names in free agency. One of those is Justin Reid, who, as Sarah Barshop of ESPN notes, is likely to head elsewhere on the open market. 

Specifically, Barshop writes that “the Texans don’t expect Reid to be back in 2022”, as his rookie contract is set to expire. The team couldn’t agree on a new deal at any point with the 25-year-old, who was benched in a violation of team rules following a disagreement with then-head coach David Culley this past season.

Injuries have been a constant in Reid’s NFL career up to this point. He has undergone offseason surgery twice – most recently in 2020 to repair a torn labrum – and finished the 2021 campaign on IR with a wrist injury, though he has mostly been able to play through pain, earning the Ed Block Courage Award in 2019. In four seasons, Reid has suited up for 57 of a possible 65 games, demonstrating his value along the way.

Since becoming a starter shortly into his rookie season, Reid has been on the field for no less than 90% of the Texans’ defensive snaps. While it was cut short, 2021 did also see an improvement from him in pass coverage, as he allowed a completion percentage of 53%. Overall, Reid has packed the stat sheet with a total of 315 tackles, seven interceptions and 23 pass breakups with the Texans.

Reid likely won’t garner the attention or salary of the likes of Tyrann Mathieu, Jessie Bates and Quandre Diggs in the coming weeks, but he would represent a quality addition to the back end of almost any defense in the league.

Panthers Still Interested In Deshaun Watson; Eagles Did Extensive Work On QB

February 23rd, 2022 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

A still-muddled legal situation has left Deshaun Watson‘s NFL career in limbo, but the quarterback continues to generate interest. While the Dolphins have moved out of the picture, the other team closely connected to the three-time Pro Bowler remains interested.

The Panthers still have Watson on their radar, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. The Panthers were prepared to make a major push for Watson last year, and after initially backing off after the off-field trouble surfaced, they were believed to have made the Texans an offer. Carolina re-emerging as a serious suitor could be a significant offseason development, though any trade talk obviously takes a backseat to the lawsuits ensnaring Watson.

[RELATED: Watson Eyeing Buccaneers, Vikings?]

Carolina’s quarterback situation moved Matt Rhule to the edge of a hot seat last year, and the team has not had stability at the position since Cam Newton‘s injuries began to pile up. The Panthers still have Sam Darnold‘s fully guaranteed $18.8MM salary on their payroll, but for a player like Watson, the QB-desperate team likely would not view that as a hindrance.

Watson holds a no-trade clause, and he is not believed to have waived it for anyone but the Dolphins last year. Still, his past at Clemson and the now-Mike McDaniel-led Dolphins exiting the pursuit — despite Stephen Ross‘ extensive interest prior to the 2021 trade deadline — certainly makes the Panthers a team to watch here.

Watson refusing to waive his no-trade clause for the Eagles did not stop them from doing plenty of work on the embattled QB. GM Howie Roseman “intensely” researched Watson’s situation, and the Eagles sent an investigator to Houston last year to gather more intel on this complex off-field matter, Wilson adds. With both Roseman and Jeffery Lurie being on this at various points, the door should not be viewed as closed on the Eagles’ end. They have three first-round picks in the 2022 draft — all in the teens — and could present the Texans with a compelling offer. Houston has sought a five- to seven-asset package for Watson, and want three first-rounders included in a proposal.

As for Watson’s criminal and civil cases, the holding pattern remains. Some of Watson’s accusers in the civil suit have yet to be deposed, and Wilson notes a judge ruled this week such depositions can be pushed back until at least April 1. Six of the 22 women accusing Watson of sexual assault or sexual misconduct have yet to be deposed. Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, still expects a resolution on Watson’s criminal case, which has seen 10 women come forward with complaints. The Houston Police Department has not yet charged Watson with a crime.

These investigations moving into April would put the teams still interested to decisions at quarterback, with the new league year opening March 16. With quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins‘ true availabilities unknown as of late February, Watson being dropped into the trade mix late would add another complexity to this equation. A potential NFL suspension clouds this process as well.

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