Washington Football Team: Mock free agency, roster cuts, trades

Washington Football Team trades

Deshaun Watson may be available on the trade market. He has demanded a trade away from the Houston Texans. Though Houston will try to stand pat with the 25-year-old Pro Bowler throughout any and everything, the saga is worth monitoring.

With recent reports coming from Texans reporter John McClain saying the Texans will at least want “two firsts, two seconds and two young defensive starters.” Washington can definitely string that kind of compensation together if Watson is truly their guy.

By the minute, Watson staying a Texan looks more and more unlikely. With Matthew Stafford recently traded to the Lions for two firsts and the swap of Jared Goff, teams will be willing to compensate for bad deals if it means getting the asset they desire.

There are several options out there for the Texans. While some teams like the Dolphins or the Jets offer high draft capital in 2021, neither team can offer the plethora of defensive players like Washington can.

Washington can give the Houston Texans two interior defensive linemen that have experience playing the two and three-technique in Houston’s 3-4 defense.

Two defensive players, on top of a plethora of day one and two picks surely could be reasonable compensation for the future All-Pro. While Houston won’t expect to get the same value in return considering they’re trading a franchise QB, their compensation for his services from Washington is certainly reasonable.

A trade to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Texans would look like this:

For the Texans, they gain a monster haul in draft capital that likely won’t net them another Deshaun Watson, but it bolsters their depleted draft capital situation and gives them plenty of opportunities to trade up for their guy or trade for another franchise QB.

The Texans receive Washington’s second-best interior defensive lineman in Matt Ionnadis who can play as a 3-4 right or left end or a 4-3 defensive tackle. He can play anywhere from the 2-4 techniques respectively and is coming into Houston on a very team-friendly deal.

In addition to Ioannidis, Houston receives Washington’s most efficient pass-rusher in IDL Tim Settle. The third-year rotational interior force netted five sacks while playing in just one-third of the teams’ entire defensive snaps this season. With more volume, he could have more positive results when he’s on the field.

For Washington, they receive their starting quarterback, a potential candidate for MVP and All-Pro teams for the next decade. Watson transcends this organization from an NFC East division contender to a sure-fire Super Bowl contender year in and year out.

Cap wise, this deal will have the Football Team take on an extra $8 million this season. Watson’s cap hit for 2021 is only at $15.9 million, while Settle & Ionaddis’s collective cap hits are at $7.9 million. This leaves the Football Team with $44.9 million dollars in cap space for the ‘21 offseason.

While Washington is giving up a lot in terms of both player and draft capital, the question remains unanswered: “What is too much for a top-five quarterback?” Certainly, for a franchise that hasn’t had one in the last 30 years, this is the right price to finally get their guy going forward.