Deshaun Watson was voted by his peers into the top 20 of the NFL’s Top 100 players list.
After a season and offseason to forget, Deshaun Watson’s peers have chosen him as the league’s 18th-best player. Yes, for once this is not negative news about the Texans best-ever quarterback. But it may just be awkward. Deshaun Watson’s production from that terrible 4-12 season brought him some eye-popping numbers.
Watson led the league in passing yards, beating out Patrick Mahomes II of the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished third in completion percentage, just behind Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.
Take a look at the rest of Watson’s stats here. Are all of these quality yards and stats? No. There were some games where these yards were “empty calories” or in “garbage time” as it’s often referred to.
Deshaun Watson takes spot 18 on the #NFLTop100. pic.twitter.com/fXnwP7YsH8
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 22, 2021
Who knows if Deshaun Watson will get a chance to repeat these feats next year
The grey area surrounding Watson’s future is what made this selection a bit awkward. If Watson has played his last snap for the Texans, then he sure put on a show in terms of stats. Rumors have flared up about trade partners throughout the offseason.
First, it was the Broncos, then it wasn’t. Then it was the Panthers, and then it wasn’t. The Eagles were reportedly in on the trade market, but that never materialized. Did I mention the Panthers again yet?
While the team would benefit greatly from cutting Watson, there is a great risk to keeping him as well. If Deshaun Watson is convicted of all of these allegations, then it will give the Texans a permanent negative association for years to come.
Or if Watson is cut and isn’t found guilty, he may succeed with another franchise, and the Texans would only be able to watch.