HOUSTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans looks on from the bench late in the fourth quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Texans continue to lose and that is great news for the Dolphins.
Bill O’Brien haunts the Houston Texans months after being fired. The Texans fell Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals to drop to 4-11 on the season and jump into a top-five draft slot.
The only problem? That pick belongs to the Miami Dolphins, as does the team’s second-round pick. O’Brien really wanted Laremy Tunsil and was will to sacrifice the future of the team to get him.
Dolphins having an amazing 2020
The Dolphins are now in position to make the playoffs and pick in the top five of the 2021 NFL Draft. Tunsil isn’t awful, but in no way was he worth what O’Brien sent to Miami to get the deal done. This move was enough to break Texans fans. Sending DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona for next to nothing finally broke those who had initially held on.
Between the Dolphins and Texans, the latter actually needs the draft picks at this point in time. But both organizations are a perfect contrast of how to and how to not succeed. The Dolphins had a legitimate plan and stuck to it without panicking or making drastic changes. The Texans, and O’Brien, made moves without logic or attention to a long-term plan. Thus, the organization is suffering for letting that go on for so long.
As of Sunday evening the Dolphins would be picking No. 4 overall in the 2021 draft. The Texans play the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 so it is possible that pick goes up to No. 3 in a year where the Dolphins are in the playoffs.
O’Brien’s shadow will hang over the franchise for years to come. One option is to trade some veteran players to acquire some much-needed picks, because going 4-12 or 5-11 and not having a pick in either of the first two rounds is just unacceptable. But hey, at least the Texans added a 2021 fourth-round pick in the Hopkins trade!