The rumors linking the Eagles to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been accused by 22 women of sexual harassment, are not going away.
According to former Eagles reporter Derrick Gunn, who remains very plugged in on what is going on with the team, the team's interest in trading for Watson is indeed very real.
Gunn's report comes on the same day that Howie Roseman, who isn't allowed under league rules to comment on any specific player from another team, tried to downplay any interest the team might have in making a move for Watson when pressed on the issue:
"I think we talked about Jalen, and how he's done everything possible off the field and during the spring practices to take the reins. We want to see him do that. I think this is a big year for any player going from year one to year two. We're excited to see that, and see his growth, and working with the ones. And hopefully that happens. One of the things that I always find kind of funny is whenever there's a name bandied about, the Eagles are kind of associated with that. I understand because we have more draft picks, high draft picks, going forward that that's probably going to be continual as players become available. We draft these guys for a reason. We're really excited about the development of them."
Jalen Hurts also tried to downplay the rumors, saying he does't pay much attention to them.
Part of the reason Hurts has been continually asked about the team potentially not having full faith in him as their quarterback, however, is their refusal to name him the starting quarterback for Week 1 — something they once again refused to do on Wednesday.
"We have to be ready by Atlanta to have all the ones named and all the twos named. Nothing in mind as far as when we got to make these decisions," Sirianni said when asked if he would name Hurts the starter. "They'll play out. They'll play out as we go, right, with these practices."
Despite what Hurts and Roseman say, however, the rumors about Watson are not going away — and with good reason. The team does have interest in trading for Watson. There is a real chance a deal gets done.
Which is why at this point the rumors likely won't stop until Watson is traded elsewhere or Hurts comes out during the regular season and plays at a high level.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
