A helicopter flew over the Texans' practice fields Thursday morning as quarterback Deshaun Watson looked toward the sky while stand in the middle of the second while providing a safety look during an alignment session.
No, the helicopter wasn't hovering high above to spy on the Texans' plays or give the NFL's passing yardage leader from last season a ride out of town.
What the aerial view would reveal and at field level view for Watson is no change in his status or work schedule after requesting a trade in January before facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and sexual misconduct. No trade is imminent, but multiple NFL teams are conducting their due diligence on Watson, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
During the second day of training camp after reporting Sunday to avoid $50,000 daily fines, Watson had a similar activity level as he was limited to individual drills and no full-team work. Watson operated as the fourth quarterback behind Tyrod Taylor, Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel. When the other three quarterbacks stayed after practice to throw to receivers, Watson went inside.
Texans coach David Culley indicated that Watson's workload will remain unchanged at this time.
"As we've said before, it's a daily deal,' Culley said. "There's no change from yesterday. There's no change and we're just going day to day."
Texans running back Phillip Lindsay expressed support for Watson, a sentiment shared by multiple players when asked to weigh in on the situation.
"You know, it's not weird to me," Lindsay said. "I know Deshaun. I know the type of person he is. He's a good dude. Whatever Deshaun has going on that's between him and him."
Texans center Justin Britt was asked if he had anticipated taking more snaps with Watson, which is an unlikely scenario given his standing trade request and unresolved situation.
"I only play center and I can't really see who's behind me," Britt said. "So, I'm going to go out there and snap it when they say: 'Go.'"
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.