Deshaun Watson Peaked in 2018 but His Best is Yet to Come
After about 16 years of searching, the Houston Texans appear to have a long-term franchise quarterback in Clemson prodigy Deshaun Watson.
In his rookie season, Watson put up outstanding stats; He had 19 touchdowns and 1,699 passing yards in seven games before an ACL tear in practice tragically ended his season. Watson was on pace for 43 touchdowns and 3,883 passing yards.
While he didn’t put up the exact same statistical volume in 2018, he was healthy (despite a few setbacks with rib and lung injuries in addition to rehabbing from his ACL tear) enough to play all 16 games, putting up 4,165 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and helping get the Texans the AFC South crown while also earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
Watson also put up 551 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, giving him a total of 331.7 fantasy points on the season. That’s not only fourth among all quarterbacks, but players as well, only trailing behind Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, and Ben Roethlisberger.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I’ve done work disproving narratives that Watson needs a great supporting cast to succeed or that he’s a product of DeAndre Hopkins and would be average without him. In actuality, I think Watson is a very good quarterback who has elevated the worst offensive line in the league, and you should consider investing in him for your dynasty league(s) if you need a QB to draft.
We’re going to look at why below.
One thing that’s notable among the style in which Watson plays the position is how mobile he is. His ability to create plays outside of structure won over Houston sports fans in his rookie season as well as the NFL, and it was still highly appealing in his sophomore season.
You may confuse this for great protection considering how long Watson holds onto the ball here. And under normal circumstances, it would be. The problem, however, is that no one is open right away, allowing the Titans defense to put some pressure on the Texans quarterback.
Watson uses impressive elusiveness to escape pressure, buying himself enough time to survey the field. Another thing to keep in mind is that he keeps his eyes open even while being forced outside of the pocket. In his rookie season, Watson tended to drop his eyes and run when his first read wasn’t open, yet that was something he fixed in his sophomore season, and it’s evident on this play.
Watson keeps his eyes up and finds Hopkins, who takes the pass all the way for a touchdown. It’s an excellent play from Watson
As a pocket passer, Watson isn’t perfect, but he showed tremendous growth in his sophomore season. His footwork and reaction to pressure were much more refined and disciplined, allowing him to elevate inconsistent receiver schemes and sub-par pass protection.
On this play, the Cowboys create edge pressure on Watson’s right side while condensing the pocket enough elsewhere to force him to step up and climb outside the pocket. As with the previous play, though, Watson keeps his eyes up, making a beautiful tight strike to Hopkins to convert a nice looking first down.
As a red zone threat, Watson ranked fifth among all players in fantasy points and third among all quarterbacks (131.28). His fluid, mobile legs were still in top form even after an ACL tear in his rookie season, and because he has little fear as a passer, he’s able to create outside of structure with relative ease.
Take this touchdown pass against the Colts for example. The right edge rusher puts heavy pressure on Watson, who is forced outside of the pocket. He scrambles away and escapes, and is somehow able to locate Hopkins in the back of the end zone. He fires an awe-inspiring strike for the touchdown.
Now, there’s been much criticism of Watson for relying too much on Hopkins, but there is some context to consider. Hopkins was the only consistently healthy receiver available in 2018, as Will Fuller only played seven games due to an ACL tear he suffered in week eight against the Dolphins last season. The Texans then traded for Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas before he too missed the postseason due to an Achilles tear suffered in week 16 against the Eagles.
For the most part, Watson relied heavily on Hopkins not just because of the phenomenal connection they both have, but because he had little options elsewhere. And thanks to a poor offensive line and the frustrating play calling of head coach/offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, things weren’t made that much easier.
And yet, that’s why Watson deserves more credit than he’s gotten for the Texans success in 2018. He carried a flawed supporting cast to an 11-5 record after an 0-3 start, securing a postseason berth and the AFC South division title. He was the most hit quarterback in the 2018 season and yet despite injuries in the early part of the season, put Houston on his back.
Plus, Watson is just so much fun to watch when he’s running for his life.
Obviously, I’d rather see Deshaun Watson with great protection, but as a quarterback, he has the special ability to elevate horrendous pass protection and make it seem like a fine dish with his mobility, awareness, refined mechanics, and outstanding rushing ability.
I’d consider drafting Watson in the third or fourth round of your dynasty startup draft. Despite putting up lower stats in his sophomore season, his reaction to pressure and refined mechanics made it the more impressive year in comparison to 2017 in my opinion. The best is yet to come for Watson, and he’s a high-quality quarterback who could use good pass protection and coaching. These issues are the reasons why I’m skeptical of Houston avoiding a win-loss regression in 2019.
Nevertheless, you should invest in Watson’s vertical pass happy ability, especially with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller around.
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