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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The first endorsement came in the Houston Texans’ inaugural race. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, under pressure from Miami Dolphins safety Brandon Jones, sent the ball into the end zone and the ball landed in the hands of rookie Jevon Holland for an interception.
From there, the Texans and Dolphins exchanged one surprising gift after another: a bad first quarter decision by Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett; Three lossy losses (between two halves) by the Dolphins; A trial converted to a sideline tackle by Taylor; consecutive tackles in the opening minutes of the third quarter; a late Houston buff.
There were nine turnovers combined. It was ugly even for teams that entered the game with only two combined wins. With an impressive defensive performance and an attack led by Brissett after Tua Tagovailoa, who started normally, the Dolphins (2-7) were a late scratch due to a broken finger on their throwing hand, making enough to smash 17-9. win at home.
“I’m not going to lie: It’s been a long time,” said Dolphins safety Eric Rowe, grinning after the game.
There were two teams with meager playoff prospects, both without a win since Week 1, linked to rumors of an off-season trade that Miami wanted to trade for Houston’s quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson requested a trade from Houston in January after expressing displeasure at not being involved in the team’s staffing decisions, including the hiring of General Manager Nick Caserio.
Less than two months after Watson’s trade claim, the first of 22 civil lawsuits was filed by women against Watson. accused the quarterback of compulsive and obscene sexual behavior. And neither the NFL nor the Texans have demonstrated that they know how to react to a situation, one of the key stories of the 2021 season.
Watson remains in a dangerous spot on Houston’s roster. He is not ready for a game this season, but remains in the active squad. The assumption is that he played his last game in a Texan uniform.
Houston (1-8) with one of the league’s most porous rosters met with the Dolphins ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, prompting speculation that the teams could reach some sort of deal. These negotiations came to naught as the deadline passed. Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross made it clear on his condition that Watson would need to resolve his legal issues before any trade. This, of course, was unlikely to happen until November.
Watson will stay with the Texans at least until the new league year begins in March 2022.
A team trapped in a revolving door of bad drafts and instability, the Dolphins felt that Watson, one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks since entering the league, might be the missing piece to bolster their offense after Tagovailoa, which was Miami’s last fifth overall draft. The year did not take the step the team had hoped for.
Miami turned a 2019 record of 5-11 to 10-6 last year, and the next step in the restructuring was clear: Make it to the playoffs.
However, after seven consecutive losses sandwiched between Week 1 and Sunday’s wins, the Dolphins are out of playoff contention and will likely miss the playoffs for a fifth season.
After a 6-3 start last year, Tagovailoa has missed four games this season, including three rib injuries. In the off-season, Miami signed ex-Texan Will Fuller and selected Tagovailoa’s Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle for sixth in the draft, hoping to give the team faster pickup options to go with DeVante Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki.
Neither succeeded, and even Miami’s defense, which led the league (29) in 2020, seemed to be straining, before a five-sack win against Houston.
Each week, Tagovailoa questioned his situation with a team looking for a potential replacement. The dolphins mostly avoided questions about their interest in Watson.
“Tua is our quarterback,” repeated Coach Brian Flores.
Tagovailoa, “I don’t feel wanted” told reporters In October, Watson was asked again if he felt the team was committed to him as trade talks escalated.
“I actually think what the Dolphins did was smart,” said Mike Tannenbaum, the Dolphins’ former vice president of football operations. He later added: “I think getting to know him now is just being smart and proactive. And if at some point you don’t think that’s the appropriate thing to do, you can always walk away.”
In 2008, Tannenbaum, then general manager of the Jets, traded Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre of 16 years, ending the tenure of Chad Pennington, who had been with the Jets since 2000.
“We were supposed to look Chad in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, these rumors are true and as much as we love you, we think we have a chance to be better,'” Tannenbaum said in an interview. “And those are tough conversations, but to me, frankly, they fit. Brett Favre and I were a better team.”
Similarly, Tannenbaum said the Dolphins’ interest in Watson is a reflection of a league-wide practice where quarterbacks are constantly evaluated, scrutinized and compared to other options. This situation, he added, is only occurring on a larger scale.
“We are in the ultimate meritocracy,” Tannenbaum said. “So Tua shouldn’t just worry about the Deshaun Watson rumors, she should be worried about playing great. Because if she’s playing great, nothing else matters.”
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