The 2021 trade deadline has come and gone, and there was no Deshaun Watson trade made by the Miami Dolphins. However, it was clear that they were in on the quarterback throughout the process.
It was reported on Tuesday by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that the Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, had received permission to speak with Watson, but there was not enough time for things to come together.
Now, on Wednesday, Miami’s general manager Chris Grier is trying to save face with his current quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who has played this season with rumors swirling about his potential replacement coming in.
“We’re very happy with Tua,” Grier said in his press conference. “I think he’s developing well. Brian [Flores] has been very consistent in his message, and we have been as well. He’s working hard. He’s shown a lot of improvement, and we think he’ll continue to develop and be the player we think he can be.”
Grier mentioned that his job with the team is to look into all players who the team could possibly bring in, so he was just doing his job by looking into acquiring Watson.
“It’s my job, as GM, to always investigate every avenue of player who may or may not be available,” Grier said.
Here’s the problem.
This trade was never getting done in time. With the stipulations that Ross put on the trade, being that the legal issues would be settled, there was no way that all 22 of Watson’s accusations would be gone by the deadline.
So, what the Dolphins accomplished was letting their quarterback know that they don’t believe in him as the long-term solution without having a legitimate plan in place to replace him. Saying that they believe in him rings hollow at this point.
