Yesterday's Blake Cushman trade sunk any hope I had of Caserio actually behaving like a competent GM. Which in turn, unravels most of my excitement over the pending treasure trove of roster assets Houston should acquire in the Deshaun Watson trade.
This is a franchise altering, landmark moment in the history of the Houston Texans. And, as sure as I am that Watson is one of the best young quarterbacks out there right now, I'm equally sure that the Texans front office is THE worst out there.
All that to say, my hopeful expectations of a major roster improvement ala what the Dallas Cowboys got from the Minnesota Vikings in the infamous Herschel Walker trade have eroded to the point I just hope Caserio and crew don't add even more embarrassment and shame to the good fans of the Houston Texans.
To be clear, Texans fans owe the team NOTHING. But, a business that relies heavily on fan support owes their fanbase far better than what the Jadeveon Clowney and DeAndre Hopkins trades wrought. Blake Cushman for a 3rd round pick? Are you [kitten] kidding me? Would have been cheaper, and probably more effective, to re-sign David Johnson and convert him to linebacker...
The NFL is a form of entertainment and at the moment we are not entertained...
Back to the initial question, I'd imagine the best trade package would come from the Carolina Panthers or New Orleans Saints, two teams going head to head in the same division and trying to find answers for the Tom Brady Tampa Bay Buccaneers question they each face twice a year. Cleveland probably has the best player assets to send over, but looking at Nick Caserio's apparent inability to gauge a veteran player's trade value, that should be removed from consideration. One thing Caserio did seem to do well was draft, so the Saints edge out the Panthers in that regard, with three available top 100 picks this year, while Carolina only has one. So, New Orleans for the win. Besides, Watson should fit in that city far better than he does Houston.
But... the dark horse in there is the Atlanta Falcons. They currently hold 4 top 100 picks, including the 8th overall. Think of all the practice squad linebackers Caserio could trade for with those picks! Kidding... maybe...
All that to say, I hope it's the Atlanta Falcons, because they seem prepared to offer the best trade package, and have the same desire to get after the division rival Buccaneers.