The Philadelphia Eagles remain one of the teams that are keeping tabs on Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson as he faces 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and sexual harassment from female massage therapists, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
The 25-year-old passer entered the offseason as one of the biggest trade pieces available in the NFL after a falling out with the Texans following their organizational nosedive to the basement of the AFC.
But the lawsuits that are graphic in their allegations have muddled up his market, descending it into the unknown while interested parties — including the Eagles — are on standby. The Carolina Panthers reportedly checked in on Watson before they made a deal on Monday with the New York Jets to acquire Sam Darnold.
The Eagles’ quarterback situation is in a precarious spot, for now. The trading of Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts has slated second-year man Jalen Hurts as the No. 1 man under center for the future.
Hurts sparked the Eagles toward the end of the season after Wentz was benched, but couldn’t reverse the team’s fortunes as they finished dead last in the worst division in all of football.
Philadelphia acquired some depth earlier this offseason by bringing on former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco as a veteran backup option.
The idea that the Eagles could draft a quarterback has subsided a bit after trading down from the No. 6 spot to No. 12, most likely taking them out of the running for either Ohio State’s Justin Fields or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
However, their reported interest in Watson does suggest that the Eagles are keeping their options open at the position — which isn’t necessarily a vote of confidence for Hurts as we enter the spring.
The Texans have yet to formally engage in trade talks but are believed to be taking calls, as made evident by Carolina’s check-in earlier this week.
