The Houston Texans franchise recently stirred visceral reactions from the public when the front office dealt All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason. The trade included a 2020 fourth-round pick in exchange for veteran running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

Despite being deemed as one of the worst trades in league history, the Texans were still able to make some better decisions in previous seasons nonetheless. Some trades eventually became pivotal for the team's bid for deep playoff runs in recent years. The list includes a bevy of Texans–Cleveland Browns trades and moves, which involved three quarterbacks in the process.

Here are the top five trades made in Houston Texans history:

5. Jay Foreman

The Houston Texans entered the league in the 2002 season and made five trades before their inaugural campaign commenced. The fifth was made in order to acquire linebacker Jay Foreman from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for running back Charlie Rogers.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln product spent his best seasons with the Texans where he became the leading tackler in the franchise's debut season. He sat as the team's second and third leader in tackles over the next two seasons, respectively. He ultimately ended his tenure with the team in 2004 and relocated to the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers before hanging his cleats by the end of the 2006 season.

4. Benardrick McKinney

Another impressive linebacker made it to the list. The Texans' scouting department did an incredible job to find a gem in a shallow 2015 NFL Draft. However, the front office needed to secure a trade with the Browns in order for them to land a higher draft pick. The team went on to trade their late second-, fourth-, and sixth-round picks to Cleveland for earlier second- and seventh-round picks.

The Texans then proceeded to select Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney with the second-round pick. The 27-year-old player is gradually moving up on the Texans’ all-time leading sacks list and is already 11th in franchise history with 11.5 sacks across 76 games played.

He garnered a second-team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl appearance back in 2018 as well. His solid contribution led him to sign a five-year, $50 million contract back in 2018 that secures him as the Texans’ linebacker of the future.

3. Matt Schaub

The Houston Texans used their first-ever draft pick as an expansion team to select Fresno State quarterback David Carr with the top overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. He eventually tallied subpar numbers and was not able to meet the team's expectations throughout his five-year run as a starter.

In 2007, the front office decided to make a change and targeted Matt Schaub, who was the perennial backup quarterback to Michael Vick with the Atlanta Falcons. The Texans acquired him along with the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft in exchange for 2007 and 2008 second-round picks and the eighth overall pick in 2007.

The move seemed to have turned out well as Schaub was able to lead the Texans to the NFL postseason twice and also led the team in almost every passing category during his time. He is also the Texans' career leader in passing yards with 23,221.

The former Virginia Cavalier stayed in Texas for seven seasons until 2013 and was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders in exchange for a 2014 sixth-round draft pick. He eventually made a return trip to the Falcons and currently serves as a backup to starting quarterback Matt Ryan.

2. Brock Osweiler

After serving as a backup to the great Peyton Manning back with the Denver Broncos, Brock Osweiler decided to take his talents to the Texans in 2016. He eventually signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the team but turned out to be a disappointment. He wasn't deemed fit to be their quarterback moving forward as he threw a franchise-record 16 interceptions during his lone season as a Texan in 2016.

The front office had to think creatively to find a trade partner who will take on his lucrative contract. Houston eventually shook hands with the Browns again and dealt the quarterback along with their 2017 sixth-round pick and 2018 second-round pick in exchange for the Browns' 2017 fourth-round compensatory pick.

The move allowed Cleveland to absorb some of Osweiler's cap from Houston in exchange for draft picks, one of the first trades of its kind. The Texans eventually used the money saved in this trade to re-sign cornerback Johnathan Joseph and sign free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu.

1. Deshaun Watson

Dismal performances and inconsistencies made by former quarterbacks Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage caused the Texans front office to set their sights on a different direction. The team eventually attempted an aggressive move in order to land their quarterback of the future in the 2017 NFL Draft. They decided to move up from the 25th pick and acquire the 12th pick from the Cleveland Browns. They gave up their 2017 25th overall pick and their 2018 first-round pick in return.

North Carolina Tar Heel Mitchell Trubisky went at second overall to the Chicago Bears while Texas Tech product Patrick Mahomes was snagged at 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. Clemson Tiger Deshaun Watson then landed on the Texans who were in dire need of a franchise cornerstone moving forward.

The risky decision to move up proved to be worth it as Watson eventually turned out to be a promising quarterback. He concluded a strong rookie campaign en route to a PFWA All-Rookie Team selection. He also followed it up with his first Pro Bowl appearance in his third season in the league.

The next step for the 24-year-old gunslinger would be to lead the Texans to a deeper playoff run and eventually to its first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Watson is still in the early stages of his career and only time will tell if he will pan out to be a Hall of Fame–caliber quarterback once his career is over.