Tuesday is deadline day in the NFL as every team has to have their final rosters down to 53 players. There are likely to be some surprise cuts, especially of veterans, and we could see some trades as well.
Decision Day on Deshaun
What will the Houston Texans do with quarterback Deshaun Watson? They can keep him on the final roster and very likely stash him on injured reserve. But doing so means they still have to pay him over $10 million to not play.
They could trade him. But at this point in the off-season, his value is at an all-time low with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, plus he hasn’t played in the preseason. Watson has long wanted out of Houston, and the front office was reluctant to make that happen back when he had trade value.
Now they either have to find a suitor and take what they can get, or take up a valuable spot on the final roster and pay Watson to do nothing. It is a tough spot for the new Texans regime with a new general manager in Nick Cesario and a new head coach in David Culley.
The latest rumors have Watson going to Miami, and the Dolphins were +800 to land Watson at the beginning of the preseason. When the market closed, the Denver Broncos were +400, as were the Carolina Panthers.
Wentz Lands on COVID List
It has been a rocky start for Carson Wentz in Indianapolis, to say the least. Just as he returned to the team following surgery, Wentz landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday along with Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly and wideout Zach Pascal. The Colts are also without former Pro Bowl wideout T.Y. Hilton who is battling a neck injury.
The Colts went through all three preseason games without Wentz as he hurt his foot in the first week of camp and had surgery on August 2. Rookies Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger played quarterback in the three preseason games, but Ehlinger was injured on Saturday. That leaves Eason and third-stringer Brett Hundley to take all the first-team snaps in practice this week.
Eason completed 10-of-14 passes for 74 yards against the Lions as the Colts finished the preseason 3-0. Hundley was 6-for-12 with a touchdown and an interception as he tallied 52 yards.
Indianapolis opens the season at home against Seattle on September 12. They started out as a slight favorite before the Wentz injury a month ago and are now +2.5 despite being at home. The Colts are +160 to win the AFC South, behind the favored Tennessee Titans at -115.
Butler Calling it Quits?
Multiple outlets reported Monday night that Malcolm Butler is strongly considering retirement instead of playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Signed to take over for departed Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, Butler is instead pivoting toward hanging up his cleats.
Butler was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams with the New England Patriots and will always have a part of Super Bowl history thanks to his game-clinching interception of Russell Wilson. Butler made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and spent the last three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. In a seven-year career, he has 17 interceptions and five forced fumbles.
Butler picked off four passes in 2020 with the Titans and signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Arizona in the offseason. He was released by Tennessee and may never suit up in the southwest.
The Cardinals season opens on September 12 in Tennessee, where Butler could face his former team as a +3 underdog. The Cardinals’ win total is 8.5, and they are +650 to win the NFC West.