SB Nation reacts: Only 24% of fans think adding Deshaun Watson makes a team a Super Bowl contender

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in 49ers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

During this week’s SB Nation reacts, we asked three questions, with one of them already being answered. The first question asked fans where they believed former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz would end up. Nearly 50% of fans said the Indianapolis Colts, where Wentz landed on Thursday.

The next question we asked was whether adding Deshaun Watson to your team would make you a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Surprisingly, only 24% of fans said yes:

I’m curious how much of this had to do with a specific team and how much was tied to Houston’s lack of success.

Teams like the 49ers, Washington, or Miami instantly become Super Bowl contenders by adding a franchise quarterback. That number is likely low. Whereas teams like the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos, and the Jets become playoff-caliber teams, but those two teams aren’t stopping anybody on the other side of the ball.

Houston is unlikely to budge anytime soon. In their defense, why would you? Watson was the second-best quarterback in the league during the 2020 season. I’m not sure there’s a package out there in which any team would put together that’d be enough for me to move Watson if I were the Texans general manager.

Speaking of the Texans, fewer than half of fans think J.J. Watt is still an elite defensive player:

On the field, Watt remains one of the best defensive linemen in the game.

If you were naming players who were more productive than Watt, you’d still have fingers to count. By definition, doesn’t that make Watt elite? I’m not clamoring for the 49ers to sign J.J., but I also disagree with the notion that he wouldn’t have a position in San Francisco. Anybody could use a pass rusher who wins as much as Watt, who finished seventh in Sports Info Solutions ‘total points saved’ metric among all defensive lineman this past season.

The hold-up for Watt likely surrounds his injury history. He played eight games during the 2019 season, five during 2017., and three during 2016. Betting on Watt’s health is a risky proposition, and now that he’s on the wrong side of 30, it’s a safe assumption that Watt’s health won’t get any better.