Written by Joel Corry at CBSSports.com
Shaquille O’Neal. Alex Rodriguez. Miguel Cabrera. Kevin Garnett. Ken Griffey Jr. These baseball and basketball superstars of the 21st century were traded during their careers. Blockbuster trades involving superstars occur with more regularity in these sports than in the NFL.
Trading J.J. Watt might be given serious consideration if the Texans were an MLB or NBA team. On the surface, it seems like a ludicrous concept. Watt has won three of the past five NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, including consecutive honors in 2014 and ‘15. He is the only player ever to have multiple seasons with 20 or more sacks. Watt is the closest thing to a modern day Reggie White, who is arguably the greatest defensive football player of all-time.
Why trading Watt isn’t a crazy idea
The idea of putting Watt on the trading block was almost unthinkable before the 2016 season. Watt only played in the first three games because he suffered a setback in returning too quickly from the back surgery for a herniated disc he had right before the start of training camp. A second surgery was necessary. Watt announced during Super Bowl week he had finished rehabbing his back and was cleared to resume football activities.
The Texans defense didn’t collapse during his lengthy absence. Healthy for the first time, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney started living up to the potential that made him the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Surprisingly, The Texans gave up the fewest yards in the NFL last season.
The chart below illustrates the statistical difference in the Texans defense with a healthy Watt in 2015 and without in 2016.
A strong defense carried a weak offense, which ranked 29th in total yards, to a second straight AFC South title despite a negative-49 point differential for the season. The Texans defeated a depleted Raiders squad in a wild-card game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl LI champion Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.
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