Deshaun Watson Poised to be Best QB in the NFL
In 2019, Deshaun Watson completed 314-for-463 passing (67.8 percent) for 3,668 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 100.4 passer rating for the Houston Texans this season. He became the first player in NFL history to record consecutive seasons with at least 25 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns (2018-19) and tied Steve Young (1994, 1998) for the most such seasons in NFL history.
However, according to Chris Simms of NBC Sports, the former Clemson Tiger is already elite, but is poised for his best year yet.
"He's an unbelievable deep-ball thrower," Simms said. "He's got unbelievable toughness and when the play breaks down, you could argue Deshaun Watson is as good as anybody in football at making something happen when nothing's there or (there is) bad pass protection or nobody's open. I mean, he's a magician that way and he's very special."
On his list of Top 40 quarterbacks this year, Simms ranked Watson at No. 4 behind Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. However, Simms believes with a couple of changes and improvements he can overtake those quarterbacks to achieve the No. 1 spot.
"If he fixes some of those things we are talking about and can be a precise short-ball thrower, like in the quick, three-step game, if he fixes that stuff, the sky's the limit," Simms said.
Watson owns five games with over 250 passing yards and 40 rushing yards this season, which leads the NFL and ties Randall Cunningham (five in 1988) for the most in a season in NFL history. Watson also has seven rushing touchdowns in 2019, which is a single-season franchise record for a quarterback, and five games with three-or-more touchdown passes this season, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL in 2019.
His prolific collegiate career, combined with his red-hot start to his NFL career, earned him a spot on a prestigious list of the "Top 5 Transcendent QB Talents," as listed by former NFL return specialist and current analyst for the NFL Network Bucky Brooks.
Brooks' top five quarterbacks were released on Twitter as follows: "1. Patrick Mahomes, KC 2. Russell Wilson, Seattle 3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay 4. DeShaun [sic] Watson, Houston 5. Matt Stafford, Detroit."
