The trade blockbuster Matthew Stafford who sent the 12-year veteran to the Los Angeles Rams will probably not be the biggest trade involving a defender in this off-season. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to come out, and his market will probably be robust enough that Texans can’t afford to play the waiting game with him.
If Watson will be treated, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle provided a picture of what might be needed to take the Pro Bowler three times away from the Texans. He noted that the deal between the Lions and the Rams will not play a role in setting the market for Watson, but the two first-round picks, a third-round pick and the defender who landed Stafford in Los Angeles do not live up to McClain’s assumption. at a Watson deal:
Two first round picks, two second round picks and a pair of young defensive beginners is a high price for any player. However, some teams claim that no price is too high for a 24-year-old franchise defender.
One of the possible obstacles that San Francisco should eliminate in acquiring Watson is just the large number of assets it could take. They have their own choices from the first round they work with and their own selections from the second round, so it would not be difficult to compensate for the project.
Where things could become potentially interesting and sticky for San Francisco are the players the Texans might want in return.
49ers have a number of young players that a team can covet in a transaction, but given the nature of the situation with a QB franchise at the other end of the transaction, the Texans’ starting point for negotiations would likely start with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
It is hard to imagine that San Francisco would make the defensive boundaries of their franchise with all the choices. A defender is important, but treating Bosa and Warner would effectively signal a complete reconstruction for a defense. San Francisco has already spent three years together. Watson is great, and the foundation defender is the most important position on the field, but throwing in the foundation of the defense that led a Super Bowl just a season ago seems drastic.
The 49ers might be willing to deal with one of those two players and a pairing selection with Houston, but offering all-Pro All-Pro players from an already formidable seven fronts is antithetical to everything General Manager John Lynch and Head coach Kyle Shanahan have done so in terms of strengthening the team over the past four years.
Of course, the whole nature of this agreement goes against Lynch and Shanahan’s previous background. They showed a desire to move project selections when it comes to a relatively low cost. Their transactions never involved first round elections, except for their transaction in the 2020 draft from no. 31 at no. 25.
If San Francisco decides to enter these waters, it could move DL Javon Kinlaw and LB Dre Greenlaw, for example. Two young defensive beginners with the qualities to become good faith stars in the NFL. They’re also the kind of players the 49ers can replace more easily than Bosa and Warner. Kinlaw was the general choice no. 14, but tracking initial caliber defensive attacks is easier than tracking edge junctions that destroy the game.
Arik Armstead is another player Houston could accept. He has a pretty important contract, but a versatile defensive line that can stay on the field and be effective for three downs could be appealing to a young, rebuilding defense.
Any move made by the 49ers in the Watson groups will be outside their comfort zone and, to complete a transaction of this magnitude, will do little harm to San Francisco. They won’t be able to sneak into a business, not even in the universe where Watson is actively forcing his way to the gulf.