It might not be a stretch to say the Texans are prioritizing Jack Easterby over Deshaun Watson.
Easterby, the former New England Patriots team chaplain and current Texans vice president of football operations, has been a lightning rod for controversy over the last few months. Houston owner Cal McNair's commitment to Easterby, who reportedly is a source of much of the Texans' locker room dysfunction, is a key factor in Watson's desire to leave the franchise. Watson reportedly was miffed after receiving zero input in Houston's general manager search, which resulted in the hiring of former Patriots executive Nick Caserio, an Easterby ally.
Given all of that, as well as the Texans' reported commitment to repairing the relationship with Watson, you would figure they'd cool it with the Easterby kowtowing, right?
Wrong!
Check out this Sunday morning report from ESPN's Adam Schefter:
As speculation continues to swirl regarding Watson's future, the Texans have moved ahead by making sweeping organizational changes. This past week, they dismissed director of football administration Kevin Krajcovic, equipment manager Mike Parson and his staff and another long-time employee Doug West.
Parson was said to have a close relationship with Watson, and these changes aren't sitting well with players.
One player privately commented to ESPN that the Texans are weeding out employees who were not hired by executive vice president Jack Easterby and new general manager Nick Caserio and they're replacing them with employees who will be indebted to them for their work.
How the Watson-Easterby-Houston saga ends is anyone's guess. So, too, are the reasons why the Texans apparently find so many admirable qualities in a person who seemingly is full of it.
