HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans in action against the Tennessee Titans during a game at NRG Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)The Deshaun Watson trade extravaganza has been dragging on for weeks now. While countless NFL franchises would love to get their hands on the Houston Texans’ superstar, a few select teams have emerged as the top landing spots.
According to ESPN football analyst and former NFL veteran Damien Woody, the Denver Broncos are the best fit for the talented young quarterback.
While the team finished the 2020 season with a disappointing 5-11 record, Woody believes the Broncos have all the pieces to build a successful franchise around Watson.
“Look at the pieces that would be around Deshaun Watson,” Woody said on ESPN’s Get Up. “Denver has a good defense. And Mark Schlereth talk about the pieces on offense — particularly at the skill positions. They’ve got a couple good running backs, they’ve got Noah Fant the tight end — and they’ve got three young wide receivers who have the potential to be dynamic in the NFL.”
.@damienwoody explains why he'd like to see Deshaun Watson on the Broncos 👀 pic.twitter.com/FC8BvrwZDu
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 18, 2021
According to reports from NFL Network insider James Palmer on Wednesday, the Broncos will in fact be “aggressive” in their pursuit of Watson. That being said, the franchise reportedly won’t stoop any lower than that. Reports indicate that Denver isn’t interested in the second tier of available quarterbacks (ie. Carson Wentz).
This shows the organization’s somewhat shaky confidence in current starter Drew Lock. While they’ll certainly go after a franchise-altering talent like Watson, the team seems to think Lock provides more value than the rest of available QBs.
Through a season full of ups and downs in 2020, Lock showed his potential as both a solid NFL quarterback and big-time flop. In his final four games of the season, the second-year QB threw for 1,015 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions. But, compounded with the rest of his season — Lock was tied for first in the NFL with 15 interceptions through 13 games.
If Watson were to join the Broncos in 2021, the AFC West (Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert) would become one of the most stacked QB divisions in the league.
