Houston Texans first-year head coach David Culley finds himself in a peculiar situation amid the Deshaun Watson drama.
After general manager Nick Caserio told Sports 610 Radio that Watson was unlikely to play in the preseason opener, Culley continued to say on Tuesday that it was “day-to-day” with Watson, but was also asked if he expects Watson to play at all this preseason.
“No comment,” Culley said, per ProFootballTalk.
In fairness, Culley is in an unusual position as a first-year head coach handling a veteran quarterback who does not want to be there and is under investigation by the NFL for alleged sexual misconduct claims.
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What the Texans decide to do with Watson is likely coming from above Culley, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk noted.
Watson missed five straight practices prior to returning to the field on Monday and has been a minimal participant in team drills since camp has started, although reports on Monday suggested he was getting a lot of throws in.
While the Texans would probably prefer to move Watson, trading him has proven to be difficult because there is so much uncertainty about his future and standing with the league due to the investigation.
Houston has reportedly said it wants at least three-first round picks, and rumors picked up that talks with the Eagles were progressing, but teams may be hesitant to pay such a hefty price for a player whose off-field legal battles could prohibit his availability.
Culley has generally been tight-lipped about Watson throughout training camp but it should be interesting to see how the team moves forward with Watson if a trade cannot be made.
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