One year ago, the Houston Texans were thought to be one of the worst teams in football. However, entering the upcoming 2024 season, they are viewed as a Super Bowl dark horse. It appears the Texans brass hit on DeMeco Ryans as a head coach, and then drafted the eventual 2023 Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. The Texans also have the Cleveland Browns to thank for their expedited rebuild.
In 2022, the Browns traded a tremendous package to the Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Just two years later, that transaction already appears to be one of the worst trades in NFL history.
During a recent appearance on the “Ultimate Fan” podcast, Hannah McNair, the Texans vice president and wife of Texans owner Cal McNair, asked, “Have you thanked a Brown lately?” Not because Cleveland got throttled by Houston in Super Wild Card Weekend last year, 45-14, but because of the Watson trade.
“I thank ’em for all of our players,” McNair said.
CBS Sports recently revisited the Watson trade, and all the players Houston acquired in the deal. Here were the picks Cleveland sent over:
- A 2022 first-round pick (13th)
- A 2022 fourth-round pick (104)
- A 2023 first-round pick…
