John McClain calls on Texans to trade Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans seem to think they’ll win a standoff with quarterback Deshaun Watson. John McClain from Houston Chronicle knows the team won’t.

McClain, who has covered the Texans since their debut in 2002 and the Houston Oilers before that, argues that now is the time for the Texans to trade Watson. McClain’s voice is important; it has been part of Houston’s sports fabric for decades. His words have an impact. His voice has influence. Any Texas fan who doesn’t already understand and support Watson’s concerns will be more likely to do so once they read McClain’s column on the subject.

Many national voices have been saying for weeks what McClain is saying now. It will be much harder for the Texans to ignore McClain than it will be for the team to ignore the views of outsiders.

McClain also locally makes a point some have made nationally: The Texans should try to pit the Jets against the Dolphins for Watson, which could spark a bidding war that will make the Texans even better for Watson.

However, there are conflicting reports about whether Watson actually wants to play for the Jets. The challenge for Watson is to find a new team who, by giving up everything they need to get Watson, won’t dive into a perpetual 6-10 cycle during Watson’s best years. The Dolphins, with third overall pick (from Houston) and second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, appear to have the ammunition to close the deal without compromising the team’s current trajectory.

The Dolphins would also be in a good position to admit that as the shortlisted franchise quarterbacks fade away, Tagovailoa likely won’t.

Whether it’s the Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, 49ers, Panthers, or anyone else, McClain is right. The Texans need to face reality and get the best deal for Watson now. Over time, interested teams will move on to other options, narrowing the universe of potential Watson destinations. Little doubt that Watson will stay away from the squad, which means the Texans must be prepared not to have Watson this year and get nothing in return for him other than the $ 20.2million. that he would have lost and / or paid for. the privilege of not playing for the Texans.

This money, even if it doesn’t make much of a change, will do nothing to improve a bad team. Shaking Watson won’t do much to persuade players with options to pick the Texans, either.

This is the other question that should worry Texans. Other players watch this steaming vat of malfunction, looking for signs that the Texans are ready and able to admit their wayward run and turn things around. Setting up an all-season showdown with Watson isn’t the right way to do it; acknowledging responsibility for the deteriorating relationship becomes the first step in persuading others that Texans understand what it will take to start behaving like a normal NFL franchise.

Getting rid of Jack Easterby wouldn’t hurt, either. But Texans have to relearn to walk before they can relearn to run.