Status of Eagles' Watson trade pursuit takes a big turn: report

[time2rock]

Status of Eagles' Watson trade pursuit takes a big turn: report

 

We're just three weeks into the 2021 NFL regular season, but already the trade winds are blowing around the most talked-about player in the league... who isn't even playing.

Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans quarterback who is still facing more than 20 allegations of sexual assault and harassment, is on the Texans' roster but has not played a snap, and barring something unexpected likely will not play a snap this year. 

The Eagles, in the wake of the Carson Wentz debacle, surfaced as one of the teams around the league with an interest in trading for Watson as their next franchise QB. He's young, he's elite, and he wants out of Houston, while the Eagles have a bevy of draft picks to trade. From a football-only perspective, it makes perfect sense. But right now, the football-only perspective isn't terribly important.

Now, as buzz around Watson kicks back up with the trade deadline a little over a month away, FOX Sports' NFL insider Jay Glazer - one of the most privy-to-backroom-chatter reporters in the football world - is shooting down the idea of the Eagles still being in the Watson trade race.

Glazer reported, twice, on Thursday night that the Eagles are not currently in pursuit of a Watson trade:

That's good news.

The question of whether the Eagles can afford to acquire Watson (they likely can) is one thing; the question of whether they should is another entirely. Even if the legal system ends up protecting Watson and he serves what will likely be a relatively minor punishment from the NFL, the idea of adding someone who allegedly serially harassed and assaulted women over his time in Houston isn't going to sit well with a good chunk of the Eagles' fanbase. 

It's unfortunate that the Eagles were even tied to the Watson trade race in the first place, considering their reported interest in the QB didn't emerge until after the allegations were brought against Watson.

And the fact that the Eagles' top decision-makers reportedly gave pursuit of Watson "the green light" at one point or another, even if that turns out to have been old information, is disappointing.

It doesn't matter how Jalen Hurts plays, now or in October. There are plenty of solutions for the future of the Eagles' quarterback room - a different trade; a trade up in next year's draft; another year of Hurts while they wait for the right guy - and none of them should include Watson.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/nfl-rumors-eagles-shift-their-deshaun-watson-trade-pursuit-report

[PoconoDon]

Trading for Watson because you like how his play looks, is like complimenting the view while jumping off a cliff. 

[Road to Victory]

11 hours ago, PoconoDon said:

Trading for Watson because you like how his play looks, is like complimenting the view while jumping off a cliff. 

Trading for Watson would be such a mistake on so many levels. 
 
Is he better than Hurts? Sure, is he THAT much better than Hurts. I don’t think so. At least not worth giving up a ton of draft picks to get him. I think if you develop Hurts, he can become a Watson-type player. Watson came into the league with a ton of weapons, weapons that Hurts does not have. Can you imagine Hurts throwing to Hopkins in his prime? How about a deep threat like Will Fuller? Then you have the whole sexual assault issue. Do you really want that circus in this day and age of woke-ism. 

If Watson was QB of this team they would still be 1-3 maybe 2-2 at best. This team has a ton of holes to fill. Keep the draft picks and see what you can do with Hurts.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

7 hours ago, Road to Victory said:

Is he better than Hurts? Sure, is he THAT much better than Hurts. I don’t think so

I mean I think he probably is and I'm a big Hurts fan. Watson is a true franchise QB on the field whereas right now we don't know if Hurts is or not... Chances are he's not going to be a franchise QB but we shall see. 

[Road to Victory]

15 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I mean I think he probably is and I'm a big Hurts fan. Watson is a true franchise QB on the field whereas right now we don't know if Hurts is or not... Chances are he's not going to be a franchise QB but we shall see. 

These are Watson’s stats from his rookie year. Very similar to Hurts. 

 

WK	DATE	OPP	RESULT	GS	PAATT	PACMP	PAYD	PATD	PAINT	RATE	SACKED	YLS	RUATT	RUYD	RUAVG	RULG	RUTD	FL	FPTS
1	09/10	JAC	L 29-7	No	23	12	102	1	1	60.4	4	0	2	16	8.00	9	0	1	7
2	09/14	@CIN	W 13-9	Yes	24	15	125	0	0	75.9	3	0	5	67	13.40	49	1	0	17
3	09/24	@NE	L 36-33	Yes	33	22	301	2	2	90.6	2	0	8	41	5.12	7	0	0	24
4	10/01	TEN	W 57-14	Yes	34	25	283	4	1	125.0	1	0	4	24	6.00	10	1	0	41
5	10/08	KC	L 42-34	Yes	31	16	261	5	0	119.8	3	0	3	31	10.33	16	0	0	45
6	10/15	CLE	W 33-17	Yes	29	17	225	3	1	103.4	1	0	6	23	3.83	9	0	0	29
7	BYE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	10/29	@SEA	L 41-38	Yes	30	19	402	4	3	106.9	5	0	8	67	8.38	18	0	0