In the wake of Friday’s Deshaun Watson trade to the Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans are looking to move on and hope that the three first-round draft picks they got in the deal will help improve a team that was among the worst in the league the past two seasons.
However, Nick Caserio, general manager of the team, was quick to emphasize Saturday that it will take time to rebuild this team.
He said, “Nothing’s ever going to happen overnight.” “This is not about one player. It isn’t about one draft. It won’t be about any one thing. It will be an accumulation of things over time.
“And if enough of the right stuff is done, then hopefully we are in a position to have a product on this field that Houston can be proud.”
Watson was traded to the Browns on Friday. This came 14 months after Watson first asked for a trade. The trade request meant Watson, a 2017 first-round draft pick, didn’t play last season.
In the months following his request, 22 women filed civil suits alleging that Watson sexually harassed and assaulted them during massages. This prompted a police investigation. On March 11, Watson was not indicted by a grand jury in Houston, which allowed the Texans the opportunity to trade him.
Watson remains in separate civil proceedings relating to lawsuits brought by 22 women. He could be removed by the NFL.
Houston was awarded first-round picks in each one of the three following drafts. The deal also included a third-round selection for 2023 and a fourth round pick in 2024.
The Texans were constantly bombarded with questions about Watson and his future in Houston as Watson remained with the team. Although they have now moved on from Watson Caserio didn’t feel any relief, he acknowledged that it was difficult.
He said, “We managed it probably as best we could. I tried to possibly take the burden and responsibility onto mine because ultimately it would be something that I had to deal with.” Try to shift the responsibility from the coaches to the players and allow them to focus on what they do best, which is coaching and playing football.
The Texans find themselves in the familiar situation of being without Watson as a quarterback. This franchise has suffered from quarterback woes throughout its history.
The Texans were able to have a revolving door at this position in the three previous seasons, when Watson was the 12th overall pick. In 2017, nine players started at least one game. Last season, Davis Mills was a rookie and started 11 games. Watson was out, but it doesn’t appear that he is the long-term solution.
Caserio stated that Davis had many opportunities last year, and Davis did a good job with them. However, we are starting from scratch.
Since 2019, the Texans haven’t had a first round draft pick. However, they will now have two this year following the Watson trade. Houston received both the third and 13th picks from Cleveland in the deal and could be looking to improve the quarterback position by adding one of these selections.
Caserio stated that he does not like to be in a draft focused on one position.
He said, “You just need to look at it and figure out what makes sense for the organisation.” It’s all about selecting good players. It’s about choosing the right players for what you want to accomplish. We will look at everything.”
After winning the AFC South in the previous two seasons, the Texans have only won four games each season. They had traded or released almost all of their starters and stars.
Caserio was hired January 2021 and is pleased with the Watson return. He knows that he still has much work ahead of him to get the team back on track after two terrible seasons.
He stated, “Our job is find solutions to move the organization forward. That is my commitment towards everyone in our building.” That is my commitment for the fans, and that is mine for the organization.
“This is my commitment to ownership. I’ll be damned, if I don’t go down swinging.”