Here’s how the Dolphins blew Deshaun Watson trade talks

The Miami Dolphins will not trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson after all, despite months of trade rumors.

If the Dolphins were willing to let one phone conversation get in the way of trading for a potential franchise quarterback, then perhaps they should’ve balked at negotiations months ago. Watson has dozens of allegations against him, which has hurt his reputation to the point the Texans want to move on from the Clemson product.

Houston is right to do so. Yet, franchise-caliber quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. So, Watson would demand a return as high as three first-round picks in return, which is why the Texans are even taking calls on him at this point.

NFL rumors: Why didn’t Dolphins trade for Deshaun Watson?

Per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted to speak with Watson, but was not granted permission. The fact that there was an answer Ross could’ve heard to make him comfortable with trading for a man facing allegations of sex crimes is another conversation entirely, and one that sheds a negative light on the Dolphins and the league itself.

Miami balked at the last minute…based on a phone conversation, or lack thereof. In the meantime, they leaked multiple rumors that they were interested in Watson, including the potential compensation they were willing to offer. Tua Tagovailoa’s confidence is surely in shambles. A quarterback who, while still young, has shown flashes in his 1.5 seasons in the NFL.

But Miami would rather deal multiple future first-round picks for a quarterback facing serious civil suits, and perhaps soon more.

Finally, it took Ross having a conscience to decide not to deal for Watson at this time. It doesn’t mean the Dolphins are out entirely — if anything, they’ll wait until the offseason and be in the same situation should Tagovailoa not ball out. But it begs to question why they’re so enamored with Watson in the first place, and how far they’re willing to go to abandon all moral compass while the jury — quite literally — is still out on Watson’s behavior.