In one way or another, Deshaun Watson will remain in the headlines. Ever since Watson reportedly made it clear he wanted a trade, the Texans drew a line in the sand -- refusing to acquiesce or take any calls from teams regarding a possible move -- but have seemingly softened their stance and are now listening to offers for the former first-round pick. So while Watson remains the defendant in 22 civil lawsuits and a federal investigation, trade rumors continue to swirl, and the Miami Dolphins find themselves the current centerpiece of them.
It's been reported, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, that the Dolphins have emerged as front-runners to potentially land Watson in a trade, with the Texans seeking three first-round picks and two-second round picks in return. When asked about the rumors, head coach Brian Flores sidestepped them entirely, basically pleading the fifth -- as it were.
"I'm interested in the players on our team," Flores said in a press conference, via Pro Football Talk.
Flores instead opted to reaffirm his belief in Tua Tagovailoa, who is on the team (at the moment?).
"I am very confident in Tua," said Flores, via Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. "He has done a lot of good things. He has played well. My conversations with a player are going to remain between me and that player."
The Dolphins were initially rumored to lead the pack in the race for Watson prior to allegations of sexual misconduct in massage sessions, but the level of risk now tied to Watson is gargantuan. The NFL has opened its own probe into the matter and it's still possible that, at some point, Watson is either suspended and/or placed on the commissioner's Exempt List to prevent him from taking the field in 2021. In order for the Dolphins, or any team, to send a king's ransom to the Texans in exchange for Watson, it would have to be a complex agreement that includes a stack of contingencies; and the Dolphins would truly have to be completely out on Tagovailoa if they were to make such a move.
And then there's the asking price, one steep enough to mortgage the future of a franchise against said risk. Will the Dolphins roll the dice on it, though? Flores didn't throw ice water on the rumors which, in essence, means he's now indirectly fueling them.
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