4 NFL teams Eagles can rule out as partners in Gardner Minshew trade

With the Texans rebuilding, it’s hard to imagine them becoming Eagles trade partners.

This is normally the time of the year when conversations about NFL teams shift to trade and free-agency theories as well as what the biggest team needs are for each of pro football’s 32 franchises. Here’s what you need to know about the Houston Texans. They need everything.

They need linebackers and tight ends. They need wide receivers and cornerbacks. Heck, they could use a few more cheerleaders, fans in the stands, and more manpower at the concession stands.

Technically, Deshaun Watson is still on the team, and who knows? Newly-minted head coach Lovie Smith might change Watson’s mind about leaving, but for now, let’s assume that he still has one foot out of the door.

You know what? Scratch that! With so many roster needs, newly-hired general manager Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ former director of player personnel, and Smith could determine that dealing Deshaun for some draft picks is step one in building a shattered franchise.

Don’t let what you’ve seen from this organization fool you. They’re starving for wins, and they want them quickly. It may seem like Caserio and Smith are in a no-win situation, but they’re vested and looking to win now.

With all that being said, it was once believed that, if the Texans had nothing else, they had their quarterback. You also have to factor in that Houston’s backup QB, Tyrod Taylor, is one of Houston’s impending free agents in 2022.

It’s hard to believe that they’ll want to go from having some certainty at the position to handing the ball to someone that, at best, might be a band-aid until something else arrives. It’s doubtful that Philadelphia finds a trade partner in Gardner Minshew.