Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Reports linking Miami to Watson continue
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Coach Brian Flores’ Friday statement indicating that Tua Tagovailoa would remain the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback for the remainder of the season did not put the trade rumors and reports linking the Dolphins to Deshaun Watson to bed. And neither did Tagovailoa with his performance in Sunday’s 26-11 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
With the NFL trade deadline looming on Tuesday, the Dolphins and Houston Texans have reportedly been in contact recently, and both sides are open to a deal centered around Watson, according to NFL Network.
The report comes after Flores’ not-overly-convincing endorsement of Tagovailoa on Friday. When pressed if the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft would be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, he began to insert a qualifier before responding, “Yeah,” to the condition of “barring injury.”
After the game Sunday in Orchard Park, Flores offered his same “Tua’s our quarterback” line he has repeated amid trade rumors the past two weeks and during the preseason.
Flores, who was delayed in addressing the media after the loss to the Bills, going an hour after the game went final following all player press conferences, said he had postgame conversations with owner Steve Ross and general manager Chris Grier.
“I always talk to Steve and Chris after a game,” Flores said, noting it was nothing unusual. “Again, those conversations are between them and I.”
Fox’s Jay Glazer reported additional information on the talks during the network’s pregame programming Sunday morning.
“It’s back to whether it’s Miami or not,” Glazer said. “From what I was told, they were so close to a deal earlier this past week, but there’s so many other things involved here: whether he goes and settles his legal issues, which is [what] I think Miami wants him to do. So, they’re still negotiating here. They’ve got two more days to see if they can get all this done.”
Watson, 26, is a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, but he faces pending civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct, along with an additional criminal investigation. He has maintained his innocence and not been charged with a crime.
In their lawsuits, the 22 women accuse Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will during massage appointments. Watson’s lawyers have said “some sexual activity” happened during some of the appointments but that he never coerced anyone.
The Dolphins are on a sevengame losing streak in a season that began with playoff aspirations after putting together a 10-6 record in 2020. Tagovailoa missed three games of the skid after leaving the Sept. 19 loss at home to the Bills with fractured ribs.
Since returning, Tagovailoa first completed nearly 75 percent of his passes with six touchdowns to three interceptions in losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. On Sunday at Buffalo, he was 21 of 39 for 205 yards, an interception and a rushing touchdown.
Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, and according to NFL Network, he has only waived it for a trade to the Dolphins. Last week, the Carolina Panthers pulled out of talks for Watson. The Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos are other teams that have been mentioned as potential suitors for the star but troubled quarterback, but neither appears to be prominently pursuing Watson. The Dolphins were involved in talks dating back to this past offseason, before Watson’s legal troubles were revealed.
Watson is eligible to play despite his pending legal situation, but the Texans have not played him this season. The Dolphins’ first game after the trade deadline, Nov. 7, is at home against Houston (1-7).
It has also been reported by CBS Sports and ESPN that the Texans are prepared to keep Watson beyond the Tuesday trade deadline, which would likely extend the saga into the coming offseason but put it on hiatus for the final two-plus months of the regular season.
Beyond Tagovailoa and any potential Watson pursuit, Flores said of any other moves the Dolphins might make by 4 p.m. on Tuesday: “Those are conversations I’ll have with Chris [Monday]. Right now, I’m kind of focused on the game we just had, the things we need to improve on to get better to turn this thing around.”
Baker inactive
Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker missed a game for the first time in his NFL or college career, out with a knee injury on Sunday at the Bills.
Of the four Dolphins to enter Sunday questionable, Baker was the only one out. Wide receiver DeVante Parker (shoulder/ hamstring), center Greg Mancz (groin) and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (knee/ankle) were all active.
Parker returned after missing the past three games and had eight catches for 85 yards. Mancz and Igbinoghene were held out of the Oct. 24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Dolphins started Duke Riley in Baker’s inside linebacker spot after Miami went with Sam Eguavoen there after Baker’s injury last week. Despite Mancz’ availability, Miami stuck with Austin Reiter at center on Sunday.
The other Dolphins inactives announced ahead of kickoff at Highmark Stadium were receiver Preston Williams, safety Sheldrick Redwine, tight end Hunter Long, defensive tackle John Jenkins, offensive tackle Greg Little and cornerback Trill Williams.
Redwine and Preston Williams didn’t travel with the team on Saturday. The CBS broadcast said Williams stayed home for disciplinary reasons, which Flores later confirmed after the game. Flores added he expects Williams to return to the team.