Randall Cobb knows an elite quarterback when he sees one.
The former 2011 Green Bay Packers second-round pick spent the first eight seasons of his career playing with Aaron Rodgers. In 2019, Cobb spent a season with the Dallas Cowboys, but it was just enough time to qualify Dak Prescott as elite.
Cobb hasn’t played a down with Deshaun Watson yet, but he knows where he would group the Houston Texans quarterback.
“I think all three are elite quarterbacks,” Cobb told reporters on Aug. 4. “One thing about Deshaun watching him on tape whenever I was making my decision is just his accuracy and his ability to make plays. You look at what he’s done just in his first three years. You look at the course of his career from high school, he’s a winner. He’s found a way to win on the biggest stage at every level and I think he has that ability.”
Beating the Alabama juggernaut in the College Football Playoff National Championship helped the former Clemson quarterback earn plenty of credibility coming into the NFL. Through the first three seasons of Watson’s career, the Texans have been operating same as they have under Bill O’Brien: win the division, play the early afternoon Saturday wild-card game, duck out of the playoffs in the divisional round.
However, the Texans are enjoying double-digit wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2011-12. That can’t happen without Watson under center.
“I think being able to take all the experience that I’ve gained playing with a Rodgers and a Prescott over the years and being able to give him some of that knowledge that I’ve been able to receive from those guys and pass that along to him, I think will be beneficial to him,” Cobb said.
If Watson is able to take another step in his development and equal or surpass Rodgers, then the results should manifest in the Texans’ win column and January success.
