The Dolphins don’t make a trade deadline deal for Deshaun Watson. What’s next?
One of the biggest dominoes of the Dolphins’ season will not fall — at least not for the foreseeable future.
The Dolphins did not complete a trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson ahead of the NFL’s deadline at 4 p.m. Tuesday, momentarily closing the book on the story line that has dominated the team for the first half of the 2021 season.
Miami for months has been linked to a trade for Watson, who hasn’t played this season in the wake of 22 civil suits alleging sexual misconduct and 10 criminal complaints, but will now officially move forward for the second half of the season with second-year player Tua Tagovalioa as the starting quarterback.
The Dolphins reportedly wanted a resolution to Watson’s legal issues before consummating a deal, but a settlement of all of the civil suits was unlikely given the short timeframe and there has been no indication of when the grand jury investigation, which is still in process, will be completed. According to NFL Network, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was granted permission to speak with Watson Monday night.
The Dolphins’ pursuit will likely be reinvigorated at the conclusion of the 2021 season, when trades can once again be agreed upon at the start of the new league year on March 16, 2022. Among the hurdles for a trade ahead of the Tuesday deadline, the Dolphins would have needed to make salary cap room to bring in Watson’s nearly $16 million cap hit this season.
The Dolphins are set to have $79.4 million in cap space next spring, according to overthecap.com, and would have more than enough room to include Watson’s $40.4 million cap hit for the 2022 season.
In holding off on a deal for Watson until potentially the start of the next league year, the Dolphins risk a development in Watson’s legal situation — like the settlement of Watson’s civil suits and/or a grand jury deciding against criminally charging him — that could further drive up Houston’s asking price. Miami also risks more teams entering the bidding for Watson, although to this point, Watson has only shown a desire to waive his no-trade clause for the Dolphins.
The NFL hasn’t suspended Watson, 26, and it hasn’t placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list, a player status used by the league to suspend players while they are being investigated under the personal conduct policy. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last week at the league’s owner’s meeting that there wasn’t enough information yet to place Watson on the exempt list.
The Dolphins have been linked to Watson since he grew disenchanted with the ownership’s handling of front-office decisions and requested a trade in January. The Miami Herald has reported on multiple occasions that the Dolphins were interested in trading for Watson but not at Houston’s price, which included three first-round picks and additional assets, whether it be players, picks or a combination of both.
Head coach Brian Flores has declined to rule out a trade for Watson, saying that he keeps any conversations with other teams private. The continuous reports have also raised questions about the future of Tagovailoa in Miami. In recent weeks, Flores has said that Tagovailoa is the Dolphins quarterback and, pressed with a qualifier last week, said Tagovailoa would be the quarterback for the rest of the 2021 season, barring injury.
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, has made 14 starts in his career and has a 7-7 record. He has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,854 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Although the Dolphins will not have Watson on the roster for the 2021 season, the remainder of the season could be seen as an audition for Tagovailoa’s future — whether in Miami or elsewhere.
He missed three games this season because of fractured ribs sustained in Week 2 and played well in games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. However, his return hasn’t been enough to change the fortunes of an offense that has struggled all season. The Dolphins rank fourth in the NFL in passing attempts per game (39.5) but tied for last in yards per attempt (6.1) and 25th in passing yards per game (223.3). Miami also ranks 28th in scoring offense, averaging 17.3 points per game.
Tagovailoa will make his fourth straight start of the season when the Dolphins (1-7) host the Texans (1-7) at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. Watson has been inactive for each game this season and has not accompanied the team for regular-season games, whether at home or on the road.
“I think he’s shown growth,” quarterbacks coach Charlie Frye said of Tagovailoa. “He’s made some good throws in tight windows. Works hard. Works at it every day in meetings, practices and walk-throughs. He’s definitely growing. I’ve only been with him for this season so that’s all I can speak of. He’s doing all the things it takes to be successful in this league.”
The Dolphins also didn’t execute any other trades ahead of the deadline, despite being in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Miami reportedly received calls from other teams on the availability of wide receiver DeVante Parker but wanted to keep him.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 3:06 PM.
