Brian Flores addresses Deshaun Watson, Miami Dolphins trade rumors

Roughly 24 hours after the Miami Dolphins reportedly emerged as a frontrunner for Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores addressed the rumors and reinforced his trust in second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“I’m very confident in Tua,” Flores said. “He has done a lot of good things. He has played well. My conversations with a player are going to remain between me and that player.”

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coming out of Alabama, Tagovailoa had a great career in Tuscaloosa, completing 69.3 percent of his passes with 7,442 yards, 96 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions in two years as a starter.

As a rookie with the Dolphins, he took the starting job from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the middle of the year. Tagovailoa completed 64.1 percent of his passes with 1,814 yards, 14 total touchdowns and five interceptions.

When asked directly if the Dolphins are interested in Watson, Flores appeared to have avoided the question, not confirming or denying the franchise’s interest.

“I would say that I’m interested in the players that are on our team,” Flores said. “That’s what I’m interested in. I’m interested in Reid Sinnett, who went out there and played his butt off tonight. I’m interested in Gerrid Doaks, woh we talked about a second ago. I’m interested in the guys that didn’t play today that were focused on our recovery and being fresh for next week. That’s what I would say. I’m interested in the players on the Miami Dolphins.

The Texans appear to have set a very lofty price tag on their star quarterback, according to Yahoo! Sports Charles Robinson.

“Sources tell Yahoo Sports the Dolphins have emerged as the frontrunner in trade discussions with the Texans for QB Deshaun Watson,” Robinson said. “The Texans are seeking 3 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in negotiations, according to a team that dropped out of trade talks.”

“Sources said the Panthers, Broncos and Eagles were also in some element of trade consideration,” Robinson continued. “But Watson’s contractual right to approve the trade destination – which was signed off on by Houston ownership in his last extension – has weighed heavily in trade opportunities.”

In light of Watson’s offseason accusations of sexual assault, teams are looking for some sort of protections in any potential trades, Robinson continued.

Watson has had a stellar four-year career with the Texans, totaling 14,539 yards, 104 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He made three Pro Bowl rosters and in 2020 was the NFL’s leader in passing yards with 4,823. A former quarterback for the Clemson Tigers, Watson led them to the College Football playoff twice, including a national championship victory over Alabama in 2017.