Sam Monson, the lead analyst for Pro Football Focus, feels the trade partner that makes the most sense for Deshaun Watson is the Miami Dolphins. That is, assuming the quarterback can force the Houston Texans to trade him. The Dolphins have a lot of draft capital to surrender, including two first-rounders this year, and could be a quarterback away from contending.
Another team that could be considered built to win now is the San Francisco 49ers. However, they do not have as appealing a portfolio of draft picks as Miami. That would mean that to compete in a bidding war for a player like Watson — and there is no evidence that they would consider it — San Francisco would need to throw in some young proven talent into an offer that would also include draft picks.
Some names have been suggested, and the 49ers fan base hasn't been happy about the idea. Young stars like defensive end Nick Bosa and/or linebacker Fred Warner might have to be part of any deal for Watson, should San Francisco pursue the quarterback. Most fans feel giving up core defensive players in addition to draft picks would be too much. It's a topic that has dominated sports talk radio.
Monson joined KNBR on Tuesday and was asked if acquiring Watson is worth surrendering players like Bosa and/or Warner.
"Yeah, absolutely," Monson told Mark Willard. "Quarterback moves the needle an order of magnitude more than any position in the NFL. It's just a huge distance."
Watson led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards last season while throwing 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The quarterback is just 25 years old, entering his fifth NFL season, and is signed through the 2025 season.
"Moving from Jimmy Garoppolo to Deshaun Watson would have a significantly greater transformative effect than even losing an All-Pro caliber player like Fred Warner or like Nick Bosa," continued Monson. "It would be painful, but it's so much easier to find a player -- that won't replace those guys but will get closer, will get you 80 percent of the way there, which is repairing the majority of the damage that you do to your chances of winning games.
"With Deshaun Watson being plugged into an offense, and giving you immediately one of the best five quarterbacks in the NFL, it gives you a chance to win every game you're in."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Monson below.
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