“It was like night and day” - NFL analyst explains how Deshaun Watson was the reason for Tua Tagovailoa’s 2021 struggles

Deshaun Watson hasn't played a snap for an NFL franchise since the 2020 pandemic-stricken season. His influence, however, still had a stranglehold on the league last season when trade rumors were running rampant.

Watson ended up with the Browns, but before then, the Dolphins were rumored to have an interest in landing the then-Texans QB via trade. As Dave Wannstedt explained on The Herd with Colin Cowherd podcast, the Watson talk affected Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa:

"Yeah, you can't. You can't lose sight of this when he was struggling early. Every week. We were all talking... didn't matter, on all the shows... Deshaun Watson going to the Dolphins. Deshaun Watson being traded to the Dolphins, and Tua is playing horrible all of a sudden, halfway through.

"The general manager down there says, 'That's enough, enough talk about this. You know, this is our guy. We're out of the Watson stakes. We're not interested anymore and it's too and his numbers, his performance.' It was like night and day."

The Dolphins were Deshaun Watson's original preferred destination

Before Watson was traded to the Browns, the Dolphins were set on acquiring him.

The Texans probably would have been better off returning Tagovailoa in the deal to add to a QB room currently headed by Davis Mills, but Houston reportedly didn't have that as an option.

Because only 20 of the 22 plaintiffs wanted to settle with Watson, Miami owner Stephen Ross was not comfortable making the trade, at least according to Audacy's Landry Locker.

Ross, who isn't always known for making smart decisions, actually made the right call in not giving up assets for Watson. He could be set to miss a second straight full season relating to the allegations levied against him from masseuses claiming sexual assault/harrassment.

At this point, it's not clear if the Browns will get Watson back in 2022 or at all. The NFL could look to make an example out of him as they face public scrutiny for several different scandals. Dan Snyder's inept job running the Washington Commanders makes up a large portion of those aforementioned scandals.

The Dolphins will have Tagovailoa back. They can only hope that the Watson trade talk didn't permentantly alter their relationship with the 2020 NFL Draft first-round pick.