Teams Houston Texans - Battle Red

Sep 6, 2005
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John McClain: Texans will keep Deshaun Watson until they get the offer they want

Posted by Mike Florio on September 1, 2021, 5:01 PM EDT

The Texans want to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson wants to be traded. Eventually, it will happen.

As explained by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, it will happen “when somebody makes [G.M. Nick] Caserio the offer he wants.”

“The Texans’ plan for Watson hasn’t changed since March,” McClain added. “Trade him when someone meets their demand, whenever that is. I think Caserio will get close to what he wants after the season if there’s clarity about Watson’s legal situation.”

The Texans, who per McClain are content to keep him on the active roster all year and pay him, reportedly want three first-round picks and two second-round picks for Watson. Teams have objected to that demand, given that his unresolved legal issues (22 civil lawsuits, 10 criminal complaints, and a vague FBI investigation) make his unavailability uncertain for 2021 and beyond.

Caserio’s position necessarily implies that the Texans view this not as a short-term transaction for Watson’s next team but a 10-year investment. Notwithstanding any absences in the short term, whether paid leave or an eventual unpaid suspension or both, this situation eventually will be resolved and Watson’s career will continue. Just as Ben Roethlisberger‘s did after allegations of off-field sexual misconduct. Just as Mike Vick’s did after two years in prison for dogfighting.

By March 2022 there should be more clarity regarding Watson’s legal situation. There’s also a chance things will remain murky. This year, it costs the Texans $10.54 million to pay him to not play while they wait for the offer Caserio wants. Next year, it will cost $35 million to continue to kick the can, if Caserio doesn’t get the offer he wants.

Assuming that the passage of six months leads to some clarity (the biggest concern at this point comes from potential indictment, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration on felony charges), the Texans become far more likely to get what they want, and perhaps more. After the season, more teams will be looking for new quarterbacks. Those teams could bid the package up to even more than three ones and two twos, potentially.

That’s the primary reason for a team like the Dolphins to move now. As Simms and I discussed on Wednesday’s PFT Live, at some point Watson’s arrival in Miami won’t do much to help the team win in 2021. But at some point it wouldn’t be a move for 2021. It would be a move for 2031 and every year in between.

In the deadline-driven NFL, the deadline is the closing of the trade window, on the Tuesday after Week Eight. If Tua Tagovailoa fails to show signs of becoming the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be, the Dolphins could make an offer close to what Caserio wants in the hopes of getting Watson before the bidding begins in the offseason, with perhaps seven or eight teams vying to get him.

The other wrinkle in all of this is Watson. Even if the Texans are willing to carry Watson on the active roster, pay him $10.54 million, and make him inactive every week, Watson may not be happy about being placed on ice for so long, even though he had a clear role in the creation of the current mess. He wants out now, not later. As 32 teams start playing football, he could get antsy. While T.O.-style shirtless driveway situps likely aren’t in the offing, an awkward relationship could get even more tense.

Both Caserio and coach David Culley have declared Watson’s status as a one-day-at-a-time proposition. That approach may work for only so many days, from Watson’s perspective.

And so maybe it ends not when the Dolphins make the Texans an offer they can’t refuse, but when the Dolphins make the Texans an offer they won’t refuse. Even if it’s less than three first-round picks and two second-round picks, there’s a chance it will be close enough that the Texans will take it, if only to finally be done with it.
 
Sep 6, 2005
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Real honest transparent and no-nonsense GM talk....

Caserio: "What we’re trying to do is create a foundation and culture where we have players that are tough-minded, that are selfless, who are going to go out there and work every day, and who are going to compete their ass off."

Caserio said his expectations are "not as much outcome-oriented as they are "process-oriented."

"That’s about what we’re trying to do and build."
 
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Texans coach David Culley said the team could use its tight ends to play the slot.
The Texans started Alex Erickson in the slot in their preseason finale and only have four healthy receivers. They don't have any proven slot options with Anthony Miller (shoulder) sidelined and Erickson and Keke Coutee both released. It creates a potential role for fifth-round TE Brevin Jordan, who played 166-of-269 snaps out of the slot his junior year. The Texans used 12 personnel at the league’s fifth-highest rate in 2020 and are expected to remain TE-heavy in OC Tim Kelly's first year as a playcaller.
SOURCE: USA Today
Sep 3, 2021, 7:02 PM ET
 
Sep 6, 2005
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Saints trade 2022 third-round pick to Texans, who will pay most of Bradley Roby’s salary

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 9, 2021, 2:44 PM EDT

The Texans got a third-round draft pick for trading cornerback Bradley Roby, but they had to pay Roby a lot of money on his way out the door.

The Saints are sending a 2022 third-round pick, plus a conditional pick in 2023 to the Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

But the Saints aren’t giving that up just to get Roby on their roster. They’re also giving it up because the Texans were willing to take on most of Roby’s cap hit: The Texans paid $7 million of Roby’s salary, while the Saints will pay the remainder, which is about $1.8 million.

In a sense, the Texans bought a third-round pick from the Saints: New Orleans wouldn’t have been willing to give up a third-round pick if the Texans hadn’t been willing to take such a big portion of Roby’s cap hit. The Texans are a team looking to add the best draft picks they can for the future, while the Saints are trying to add good players now while still managing to stay under the salary cap. The two teams found a trade that met both of their needs.
 
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ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Texans are seeking a combination of six players and picks in a Deshaun Watson trade.
Whether it's one player and five picks or two players and four picks, Texans GM Nick Caserio has set his asking price. For now, no team is willing to meet that price without stipulations attached to the picks with Watson still under investigation by the FBI in his sexual misconduct cases. Watson has yet to be charged with anything. The Texans are going to make Watson inactive all year while he's on the roster. We're unlikely to see a trade anytime soon.
SOURCE: ESPN.com
Sep 12, 2021, 8:45 AM ET
 
Culley looks like 10 years younger in that clip than he seemed throughout the preseason. When youre genuinely happy I guess you do look/come across younger
 
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Mark Ingram: David Culley’s transparency, consistency resonates with team

Posted by Josh Alper on September 16, 2021, 12:42 PM EDT

The Texans played better than most people expected in Week One’s 37-21 victory over the Jaguars and running back Mark Ingram credits head coach David Culley’s approach with putting the team in position to succeed.

Ingram met Culley when he signed with the Ravens in 2019 and Culley was one of the team’s assistants. Ingram said on NFL Network Thursday that Culley has “always been a guy who cares about his players and just been true to who he is” since they first met. He said those traits have helped Culley keep the team on track despite the Deshaun Watson saga and low outside opinions of the team.

“We all just believe in each other, we trust in each other, that’s from coaches, player-coach, player-player, everyone in the organization, we have the mindset,” Ingram said. “We want to be good, we want to win games, we want to execute, we want to be physical. I think we have like-minded people. That’s when you have success. He’s just been transparent, he’s been consistent in who he is and delivering his message, and I think that resonates throughout the team with everybody.”

Ingram said the Texans believe they “can be great, win games and be a championship-type team.” The big win in Week One didn’t make that the consensus opinion, but it seems clear the Texans aren’t going to be a pushover either.
 
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Excellent article with gifs, showcasing the Texans new Pistol-based offense by OC Tim Kelly, designed for Tyrod Taylor, and how impressed the analyzer is with Kelly.

 
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Texans WR Nico Collins (shoulder) is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.
Collins earned his first start last week and picked up 32 yards on his lone target before exiting the game. The Texans have looked Brandin Cooks' way 21 times through two weeks and the loss of Collins will only further his gaudy target numbers. Danny Amendola and Chris Conley will start in three-receiver sets with Collins out. Both players have been held under 50 yards through two weeks and neither projects to be fantasy-relevant even with a larger role.
 
Sep 6, 2005
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Opportunity for Mills to become a franchise QB, or to flame out. Whats it gonna be Mr Mills?

Sports Talk 790's Aaron Wilson reports Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) could be sidelined for the next four games.

Wilson added that Taylor suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Week 2 and the plan is for Davis Mills to start until he returns. The Texans will call up Jeff Driskel from the practice squad to serve as Mills' backup. Mills is entering a short week as Houston faces the Panthers Thursday. Billed as a project coming out of Stanford, Mills is likely to struggle out of the gate. He threw a touchdown and an interception while relieving Taylor versus the Browns. He is worth stashing in 2QB and Superflex leagues but can't be trusted as a starter even in those formats.

RELATED:
SOURCE: John McClain on Twitter
Sep 20, 2021, 5:15 PM ET
 
Hassan Reddick in his press conference gave Mills a lot of praise, said he is tough to bring down and when you do when with a big hit he still gets straight back up like it was nothing.
 
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Davis Mills on his first start: There’s obviously a couple plays I would like back

Posted by Myles Simmons on September 24, 2021, 8:54 AM EDT

Making your first start on a Thursday as a third-round rookie quarterback is not an ideal situation.

Davis Mills made a few plays in Houston’s 24-9 loss to Carolina, but not nearly enough. The signal-caller finished Thursday’s game 19-of-28 passing for 168 yards with a touchdown. That he didn’t turn the ball over is a clear positive. But the Texans were just 1-of-9 on third down.

After the game, Mills quoted the adage, “It’s never as bad as you think and it’s never as good as you think it was” to describe his thoughts on his performance.

“There’s obviously a couple plays I would like back,” Mills said in his press conference. “But I’m going to come in tomorrow and watch the film and see what we can improve on, but also see what we did well to move forward.”

The one situation where Mills excelled was the two-minute drill at the end of the first half. Factoring out the spike to stop the clock, Mills completed all five of his attempts for 60 yards en route to Houston’s only touchdown of the night.

“I think we felt like we … got in a really good rhythm once we were out there pushing the tempo and kind of spreading the ball around because, honestly, at the end of the drive, I felt like the defense was a little tired and we were able to attack them and find plays,” Mills said.

Mills noted that even without seeing the film, he “definitely” knows some of the things he’d like to work on. And despite the circumstances of taking over the role of QB1, he’s grateful for it.

“Unfortunately, Ty [Taylor] went down and, I mean, never wish injury upon anyone,” Mills said. “But I think moving forward this is a place I want to be. I’ve always dreamed of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, so I think moving forward just trying to improve each and every day is what I’m going to try to do.”
 
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