When the Houston Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins, many were wondering if Deshaun Watson would see his play decline under center. On the contrary, Watson believes he's become a much-improved version of himself following the departure of Hopkins.
“As far as just being the quarterback and being efficient, I think this is the best I’ve felt,” Watson himself said last week, via The Athletic's Aaron Reiss. “This is the best football I’ve been playing for a while.”
It's hard to argue that Deshaun Watson hasn't been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL thus far. Through the first nine weeks, Watson has completed 68.3 percent (tied with his career-high mark) for 2,376 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Following his impressive performance in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans boast the 10th ranked passing offense in terms of DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average). Surprisingly enough, that is a higher DVOA than Houston had in any season when Hopkins was catching passes from Watson.
Of course, the trade involving Hopkins still is one of the most head-scratching moves in recent memory. Trading an All-Pro wideout for an aging running back and a draft pick that isn't in the first round is questionable, to say the least.
However, sometimes we witness quarterbacks reach their full potential when they aren't keen on targeting one guy in particular. That isn't to say that Deshaun Watson wouldn't be performing at a high level if Hopkins was still with the Texans.
But what it does say is that whoever becomes the next head coach in Houston has a remarkable franchise quarterback in place, which isn't the easiest thing to find in today's league.
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