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Texans GM Nick Caserio Declines Comment on Deshaun Watson, QB Contingency Plans
April 16, 2021
Mum is the word for Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio when it comes to quarterback Deshaun Watson and potential contingency plans for the position.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Caserio essentially declined to comment on Watson on Friday, saying only: "We're respectful of the legal process."
Per Pelissero, Caserio also declined to discuss hypotheticals regarding Watson, saying: "If you want to speculate, you should probably go buy Bitcoin."
Watson reportedly made a trade request in January. Since then, he has been named by 22 women in lawsuits alleging sexual assault or misconduct during massages.
Given Watson's uncertain future with the Texans and perhaps even as an NFL player, it stands to reason that Caserio may have some backup plans in mind.
The primary one may be veteran signal-caller Tyrod Taylor, who the Texans signed to a one-year contract this offseason.
Taylor, 31, is an experienced NFL quarterback with 47 career regular-season starts and one playoff start to his credit.
In 2021, Taylor will play for his fourth different team in the past five seasons, as he previously enjoyed stints with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.
His greatest success came with the Bills from 2015-17 when he went 22-20, was named to his first and only Pro Bowl and led Buffalo to the playoffs in 2017, thus ending a 17-season drought.
Taylor began the 2018 season as the Browns' starter and the 2020 season as the Chargers' starter, but he was quickly replaced by Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert, respectively.
Aside from Taylor and Watson, the only other quarterback on Houston's roster currently is Ryan Finley, who was a fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2019 NFL draft.
Pelissero reported two weeks ago that the Texans may also consider pursuing veteran free-agent quarterback Alex Smith.
The soon-to-be-37-year-old Smith returned last season from a career-threatening leg injury to start six games for the Washington Football Team. Smith went 5-1 and helped lead Washington to the NFC East crown.
Smith was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, but his numbers were pedestrian, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,582 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Watson remains the starter in Houston for now, but if the Texans move on from the three-time Pro Bowler this offseason, they have some other possibilities to consider.