Texans’ teardown fits perfectly with Colts Super Bowl window

It’s obviously easier said than done, but the Indianapolis Colts are just a few blockbuster moves away from being a clear-cut championship contender. Their current vacancy at quarterback leaves a lot to be desired among fans, but you simply have to trust that GM Chris Ballard, who has a near-flawless track record since taking over four years ago, will end up making the right call.

To think that the Colts are on the precipice of a title run is stupefying when you recall the vibes surrounding them in the wake of Andrew Luck’s retirement in 2019, and that’s a testament to Ballard’s reputation as one of the best executives in the league.

While most of the Colts’ roster is comprised of budding stars, the early indicators suggest Ballard is fully prepared to keep them satisfied — or, in other words, do the opposite of what the Texans have done with their superstars over the last two seasons.

News of franchise cornerstone JJ Watt’s release (!) broke the internet on Friday, and it really served as an encapsulation of how far Houston has come in terms of running themselves into the ground. For fans in Indy, their demise couldn’t come at a perfect time with the Colts poised to enjoy success for the foreseeable future.

Colts fans should be loving every second of the Texans’ teardown.

Watt is as loyal as any player in the league, so for him to formally request a one-way ticket out of town speaks volumes to everything that’s currently wrong with the Texans. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year seemed destined to end his career in Houston (where it all started), and they somehow did everything possible to push him away.

To put the Texans’ capitulation into perspective, they turned Watt and former receiver DeAndre Hopkins — both of whom have eight All-Pro nods between them — into a washed-up running back in David Johnson, defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who was taken with the acquired 2020 second-rounder in that heavily-maligned trade last offseason, and a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. For context, Blacklock logged an abhorrent 30.2 grade from Pro Football Focus as a rookie.

Watt deserved to end his tenure with the Texans on his own terms, but the fact that they willingly opted against trading him for valuable draft picks should have Colts fans laughing out loud. Could you imagine the uproar in H-Town if Indianapolis managed to turn around and sign him this offseason? It would be the perfect storm as far as chaos is concerned.

We haven’t even gotten to the Deshaun Watson saga yet! Houston ownership came out publicly after the Watt news and further embarrassed themselves by claiming that they have zero intention of trading their superstar quarterback. Yeah, because releasing one of the greatest players in your franchise’s history definitely won’t convince Watson to waive his no-trade clause.

Now the Titans are officially the Colts’ only competition in the short term, and they just lost their offensive coordinator to the Atlanta Falcons. With a rebuilding Texans and Jaguars and a Titans team that may have already reached its peak, the Colts are in prime position to run through the AFC South assuming the right moves are made this offseason.

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