Houston Texans: Steelers aren’t likely a Deshaun Watson trade destination

Can the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers be trade partners … it isn’t likely.

The Houston Texans have Deshaun Watson available to trade, but even if Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a pec injury, that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh will break away from their history with using first round draft picks.

For any team to acquire Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade during the season or next offseason that team will have a hefty price to pay for a quarterback that is the caliber of Watson. Remember he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he’s on the football field.

A possible trade for Watson only comes to mind because Roethlisberger is 39-years old and he has been hit a lot in the first two games of the season already. Roethlisberger has already been sacked four times in the first two games this season, and hit even more than that.

With all of the past injuries the Steelers quarterback has suffered in his 18 seasons in the NFL, all with Pittsburgh, eventually he’s going to have to retire and the Steelers do need a Plan B at the position.

Now here comes the crazy scenario … Would the Houston Texans be able to trade Deshaun Watson to the Steelers this offseason? Though the future of the Steelers at quarterback isn’t Roethlisberger for the long-term, acquiring Watson would cost the Steelers a lot of draft capital, and players on their roster too.

That probably isn’t a price the Steelers are willing to pay, especially looking at their history of keeping a first round draft pick. Since at least 1980 the Steelers have made a selection in the first round of the NFL draft every year except for 2020.

Having that long of history of making first round selections is what has made the Steelers the strong and consistent franchise they are. Pittsburgh has a history of being set in their ways with only three head coaches in the Super Bowl era – Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin – so trading what it will take to gain Deshaun Watson as their next quarterback isn’t very likely.

As unlikely as an in-season trade of Watson to the Steelers would ever happen, even if Roethlisberger continues to battle injuries, the Texans and Steelers most likely won’t be making any huge trades involving draft capital.

This will ring true especially if it involves multiple first round picks because that just isn’t something the Steelers historically do when it comes to how they value their first round picks.