There's no denying that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is a player of extreme talent. His Pro Bowl 2020 campaign was good enough to give him the league lead in passing yards and earn him the No. 18 spot on the annual NFL Top 100 list, and with only four years of NFL experience under his belt, his ceiling could get a lot higher.
But his on-field talent and his off-field behavior and issues are two very, very different things, and the latter has been the focal point of Watson's offseason. Facing multiple civil lawsuits and with an FBI investigation underway, there are much bigger things than trade talks in which Watson is involved.
With that said, trade rumors abound, and one of the teams mentioned as a "front runner" are the Miami Dolphins, whether or not the team's fan base like that.
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And if what Brian Flores says is true, he may not be the biggest fan of such an idea either, so long as the allegations against Watson hold any truth to them. The Dolphins head coach discussed what type of player his team seeks out on Monday, and he emphasized that people with "high character" are of top priority.
"There are a lot of things we weigh when we're making decisions — fit on the team, overall talent, salary cap," Flores said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). "When we're talking about a player or players, we're always trying to do what is best for the Miami Dolphins. There are a lot of variables. We want a group that is tough, smart, competitive, loves to play and is team first. Those are the types of guys we're looking for.
"We have a high standard for the people we have in the organization. We want people with high character throughout the building."
After Sunday's preseason game, Flores also shared that he has high expectations for the team's current quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who you'd expect to be a moving part in any deal with the Texans (h/t Alper).
Whether or not the Dolphins would want to trade for Watson under these circumstances is one question. Another that still remains is whether or not the Texans would even want to move him given what teams are currently willing to trade, and that could also make it a more pessimistic pursuit for Houston.
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