Houston Texans news: Deshaun Watson and more pre-training camp thoughts

Since the start of the Houston Texans training camp is just a few days away, this is as good of time as any to talk about a few things before the intensity and unknown of the upcoming season really kicks into gear.

How many of you are getting tired of wondering what is going to happen with Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (that’s still his title, right?), as it has been one wild offseason for the 2020 NFL passing leader?

Will Watson even be the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans again? Will he even play in the NFL in 2021, 2022 or ever again? The answer to the first question is since Deshaun Watson requested a trade before his legal issues even began, the feeling from here is he will not play for the Texans ever again.

Next is will Deshaun Watson play in the NFL at any point in 2021 or beyond? If his off-the-field problems are able to be fixed, then most likely the Texans will be able to trade Watson and they will get a big return for one of the best quarterbacks in all of the NFL when he’s on the field.

Look at how much Watson accomplished with the Texans’ offense last season, and the Houston defense didn’t help matters much, either.

So the final answer about Deshaun Watson is it doesn’t seem likely he’ll play for the Texans ever again, and it comes back to him wanting to be traded before any of his off-the-field issues ever happened.

Houston Texans: Will David Johnson ever return to form?

What exactly does it mean when asking “Will David Johnson ever return to form?” The question is basically this … Can he at least rush for 1,000 yards or put fear into the opposing offense in ’21? Being a 1,000-yard rusher could be tough if the Houston Texans decide to have a running back by committee in ’21. They also have Mark Ingram II and Phillip Lindsey on the roster, and they both will take carries away from Johnson in ’21 if they make the roster.

Also, don’t forget about the signing of Rex Burkhead as he’s a goal line threat for sure, and he’ll be able to to put points on the board in ’21, again, taking away opportunities from Johnson in short-yardage situations.

In basically putting pen to paper here, for the ’21 season the feeling from here is Johnson won’t have a 1,000-yard season, but the running back by committee could actually work and make the Texans’ offense formidable this season. That unit could be heavily used, especially if No. 4 doesn’t return as the starting quarterback, which would be the biggest Houston Texans news of all.

Next are more Houston Texans questions and ideas before the start of training camp.