Final Results of the Deshaun Watson Trade
Final Results of the Deshaun Watson Trade
A look at the history and flow of the acquired draft picks from the trade with the Cleveland Browns
Hey everyone!
Are you a new subscriber to the Cap & Trade Newsletter, welcome! This newsletter covers the NFL salary cap and news across the league with additional coverage of the Houston Texans. I have been covering the Houston Texans since 2012, and 2017 as credentialed media and have been working at OverTheCap.com for the past 8 years. I hope you find this newsletter informative and digestible. I subscribe to many paywall-type websites for data sourcing and aggregation, but I'm always searching for more sources. While this newsletter remains free, you can activate a paid subscription to assist in making this newsletter even better:
Houston Texans fans can now, well almost, close the book on the Deshaun Watson trade. (Insert your LOTR Frodo - “It’s Done.” gif).
What started as six draft picks received from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for quarterback Deshaun Watson has turned into 14 players and a star veteran wide receiver.
In today’s newsletter, I will go back through the life of those six draft picks including the plethora of trades culminating with each player drafted (and traded for).
March 21, 2022 - Trade Completed
The news broke with the Cleveland Browns sneaking back into the trade negotiations, executing a trade with the Houston Texans that included six draft selections spanning the 2022, 2023, and 2024 NFL drafts.
By all accounts, Houston General Manager Nick Caserio worked this trade process to near perfection returning a strong trade package to send Deshaun Watson to Cleveland.
This trade left a void on the Houston Texans’ roster at the quarterback position. At the time, second-year player Davis Mills was coming off an indifferent rookie 2021 season. Mills played in 13 games, starting 11 games, and finishing the season with 2,664 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Mills had shown flashes of talent during the final 5 weeks of the regular season, posting a 12th-highest NFL Passer Rating of 92.2 on 166 dropbacks.
April 28-30, 2022 - 2022 NFL Draft
Houston was headed into the 2022 NFL Draft with two 1st round draft picks, one of those selections coming from the trade with Cleveland. Houston was also set to use an additional 4th round draft selection resulting from the trade.
The quarterback class for the 2022 NFL Draft was less than stellar prompting Houston to look at other positions to start building the team’s foundation. Houston used their owned 1.03 draft selection on defensive back Derek Stingley.
The first draft pick, from the Cleveland trade, was slotted at 1.13 (number 13 overall). However, Caserio would not remain in that draft slot executing a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trade:
Houston moved back two slots in the first round while obtaining additional day 3 draft assets. Houston would then use draft selection 1.15 on offensive guard Kenyon Green.
Houston used their owned second-round selection, pick 2.37, on defensive back Jalen Pitre.
Now working in the middle of the second round, Caserio makes a big trade up from 3.68 to 2.44 working a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Trade:
This would move Houston up 24 draft slots to make another 2nd round draft selection. Houston would use draft selection 2.44 on wide receiver John Metchie.
Houston continued work in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft, having traded away their owned 3rd round draft selection back to Cleveland in the trade mentioned above. Houston did possess draft selection 3.80 as part of the Bradley Roby trade to New Orleans. Caserio made another move up the draft board from 3.80 to 3.77 utilizing draft pick 5.162 (via Philadelphia via Cleveland for Watson trade).
Trade:
Houston, after moving up 5 draft slots to make their 3rd round draft selection. Houston would use draft selection 3.75 on linebacker Christian Harris.
Moving forward into the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Houston possesses draft selection 4.107 as part of the original trade with Cleveland for Deshaun Watson. This time Caserio would stay in the slot to make his draft selection.
Houston would use draft selection 4.107 on runningback Dameon Pierce.
Moving forward again, this time in the 5th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Houston entered the 5th round with two selections. 5.166 and 5.170. The draft selection 5.166 was acquired from Philadelphia as part of the first round trade back from 1.13 to 1.15. Houston would use 5.166 as part of the package to move up.
Houston would move up 15 draft slots to 5.150 after the trade with the Chicago Bears including the 5.166 selection acquired from Philadelphia. Houston would use draft selection 5.150 on defensive tackle Thomas Booker.
2022 NFL Draft Summary
Nick Caserio entered the 2022 NFL Draft with two draft selections acquired from Cleveland as part of the Deshaun Watson trade, draft selections 1.13 and 4.107. Caserio would utilize those two assets, obtained from Cleveland, and other owned assets to come out of the 2022 NFL Draft with four drafted players: Kenyon Green, John Metchie, Christian Harris, Dameon Pierce, and Thomas Booker.
April 27-29, 2023 - 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft will go down as one of the most exciting drafts in franchise history for the Houston Texans. The team came out of this draft with multiple foundational players including quarterback CJ Stroud, defensive end Will Anderson, and wide receiver Tank Dell.
Before the 2023 NFL Draft, Houston had four draft picks remaining from the trade with the Cleveland Browns. Those draft selections were 1.12 and 3.73 in the 2023 NFL Draft and a 1st and 4th round selection in the future 2024 NFL Draft.
The 2023 NFL Draft would be a very business three days for Nick Caserio as he completed seven trades over the three-day-long draft.
After selecting CJ Stroud with their owned 1.02 draft selection, Caserio shocked the world by trading up from draft selection 1.12 (from the trade with Cleveland) to draft selection 1.03.
Houston would receive draft selections 1.03 and 4.105 in exchange for 1.12, 2.33, and their 1st and 3rd (Houston-owned) round draft selections in 2024.
Houston would use draft selection 1.30 for defensive end Will Anderson.
Houston did complete a second round draft selection, trading up utilizing other draft assets, to select offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. After trading away their owned second round draft selection in the package for Will Anderson; Houston would shift their focus to the third round.
Houston had draft selection 3.73 in their possession, acquired from Cleveland, at the start of the third round. Just five picks into the third round, Caserio would complete another trade-up, this time with the Los Angeles Rams.
Houston would move up four draft slots to draft selection 3.69. Houston would use draft selection 3.69 for wide receiver Tank Dell.
Houston entered the 4th round with two draft selections with 4.104 (owned) and 4.105 (from Arizona).
After trading out of the 4.104 draft selection with the Las Vegas Raiders, Houston was once again on the clock with draft selection 4.105. This draft selection came from Arizona as part of the trade from 1.12 to 1.03, which originally came from Cleveland as part of the trade with Deshaun Watson.
Houston would complete another trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to trade out of the 4.105 draft selection slot.
This was a savvy move by Nick Caserio to obtain a future 3rd round draft selection. A move typically completed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Houston would complete draft selections in the 4th and 5th rounds drafting defensive end Dylan Horton and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o respectively. Caserio did not utilize any draft assets from the Cleveland trade for either draft selection.
Shifting forward to the sixth round, Caserio and draft buddy Howie Roseman (GM of the Philadelphia Eagles) completed yet another trade. Houston currently owned draft selection 6.191, acquired from the Los Angeles Rams as part of the trade up in the third round, which came from the 3.73 draft selection originally received as part of the trade with Cleveland for Deshaun Watson.
This time Caserio moved back out of draft selection 6.191 in exchange for draft selection 7.230 and draft selection 7.248.
Houston would go on to use their owned draft selection, 6.201, to draft offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson. Just four draft selections later, Caserio would make yet another trade.
Caserio and the Buffalo Bills complete a trade to move up from draft selection 7.230 to draft selection 6.205, while also sending a 2024 6th round pick acquired from Dallas as part of the Brandin Cooks trade.
Houston would use draft selection 6.205 for wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson.
Late in the seventh round, Houston had one more draft selection available, a result of an earlier trade. Draft selection 7.248, acquired from Philadelphia as part of trading out of draft selection 6.191, was used for defensive back Brandon Hill.
2023 NFL Draft Summary
Houston entered the draft with multiple draft picks across the three-day draft, two of which came from the Cleveland trade for Deshaun Watson. Draft selection 1.12 which was used in a big trade-up with the Arizona Cardinals, and draft selection 3.73 which was used in a trade-up with the Los Angeles Rams. Nick Caserio and the Houston Texans would come out of the 2022 NFL Draft, using the Cleveland draft assets coupled with other draft assets, with Will Anderson, Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchinson, and Brandon Hill.
April 25-27, 2024 - 2024 NFL Draft
After shocking the world in 2023 with a 10-win season and winning a playoff game during the Wild Card round, Houston was labeled as a team to watch during the 2024 draft.
Nick Caserio just completed an explosive offseason with a swath of big-name signings and player trades to bring in players such as Danielle Hunter, Joe Mixon, and Stefon Diggs, Denico Autry. Caserio also re-signed big-time contributors such as Dalton Schultz, Noah Brown, and Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Six weeks before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, Houston completed a draft pick swap trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
Houston would trade out of the first round completely moving back from draft selection 1.23 to 2.42. Additionally, Houston would receive a future 2nd round draft selection and a day 3 pick swap.
Three weeks before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, Houston would complete another splash trade, this time with the Buffalo Bills.
Houston would use the future 2025 2nd round draft selection, acquired from Minnesota (as part of the trade out of 1.23 originally owned by Cleveland), to acquire veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Houston would also receive a 2024 draft selection 6.189 and a future 2025 5th round draft selection.
Houston entered the 2024 NFL Draft with nine draft selections, three stemming from the original trade with the Cleveland Browns. Draft selections 2.42 (from Minnesota), 3.86 (from Philadelphia), and 4.123 (from Cleveland).
Houston was unable to complete any trade-ups to the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft (not for a lack of trying), and would ultimately remain in the second round at draft selection 2.42 to select cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
Moving forward into the third round Houston, originally, was slotted with draft selection 3.86. This draft selection was acquired as part of the trade out of the 4th round in the 2022 NFL Draft with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Caserio and Roseman complete another trade with Houston moving up from 3.86 to 3.78.
In this trade, Houston would send 3.86 and 4.123 (acquired from Cleveland in the original trade with Deshaun Watson).
Houston would use draft selection 3.78 for safety Calen Bullock.
Draft selection 4.123 would become very familiar as Houston later traded up from 4.127 to 4.123 to draft tight end Cade Stover. I did not count Cade Stover as an acquired player from the original Cleveland Brown draft picks asset allotment based on the nature of the acquisition.
Houston then turned their focus on the sixth round, after not owning or acquiring any draft selections in the fifth round. Houston had two draft selections in the sixth round, 6.188 (from Minnesota on the trade out of the first round, originally from Cleveland) and 6.189 (from Buffalo as part of the trade for Stefon Diggs, originally from Minnesota via Cleveland as part of the trade out of the first round).
Houston selected linebacker Jamal Hill with 6.188.
Houston would then complete a trade with the Detroit Lions to move back from draft selection 6.189 to draft selection 6.205.
After trading back sixteen draft slots, Houston would use draft selection 6.205 for runningback Jawhar Jordan.
To finish off the 2023 NFL Draft, Houston entered the seventh round with three draft selections. One draft selection, 7.249, was the result of multiple trades that originated for the Cleveland Browns trade.
Houston would use draft selection 7.249 for offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson.
2024 NFL Draft Summary
Nick Caserio executed many trades both before and during the 2024 NFL Draft to acquire four players as part of the assets acquired from the trade with the Cleveland Browns in 2022. The players acquired were: Stefon Diggs, Calen Bullock, Jordan Jawhar, and LaDarius Henderson.
Houston also has a 2025 5th round draft selection available as a result of all the trades completed.
Whew…I believe that is it.
Final Acquisition Summary
What started as six draft picks acquired from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Deshaun Watson, through multiple moves, ultimately led the Houston Texans to acquire the following 14 players and 1 draft selection remaining:
Nick Caserio has rebuilt the Houston Texans’ roster including acquiring foundational players like Derek Stingley, Will Anderson, Christian Harris, and Tank Dell, using the draft assets acquired from the Cleveland Browns. That is a win in my book.
Thanks for reading! I know it was a long one.
-TC
WOW! Incredible work. At first I branched off to see what players were taken by the teams we traded with but it got toooooo complicated. Good job! Way to go Troy… way to go Nick!