There comes a time when the blueprint of every contender, or quasi-contender, in the NFL is tested, and that time is now for the Cleveland Browns.
The team fielded the best defense in the league last season, employs a Pro-Bowl wide receiver and tight end in Amari Cooper and David Njoku, respectively, and will boast perhaps the best running back in football over the past half-decade when Nick Chubb returns later this season from his knee injury.
But then there is three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson and his $230 million contract. Watson is the highest-paid player on the roster by a wide margin, yet he has appeared in just 12 regular-season games total over his first two years with the franchise and missed its only playoff contest in January.
A suspension for off-field violations of the player conduct policy and a shoulder injury that required surgery cost Watson 11 games in each of the past two years. He will return to the field in 2024 fully healthy, though three full seasons separated from his last Pro Bowl-caliber campaign, and attempt to lead the Browns offense through perhaps the NFL’s toughest division.
Those long forlorn Cleveland fans harboring hopes of Super Bowl glory must believe that Watson can return to his 2020 form. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report on Sunday, July 14, suggested that those fans should brace themselves for disappointment, as he predicted Watson to be the Browns’ biggest bust of the upcoming season.
“Watson has managed only 6.5 yards per attempt in 12 starts with the Browns,” Kenyon wrote. “That would’ve ranked 25th in the league last year.”
Deshaun Watson Has Played Rarely, Poorly During 2 Years With Browns
Watson led the league in passing in 2020 with 4,823 yards as a member of the Houston Texans but hasn’t been the same since.
He sat out the entirety of the 2021 season, which was apparently a decision made by Texans management after the quarterback demanded a trade. Alleged victims had also already filed 10 criminal complaints and 22 of the eventual 26 civil complaints alleging sexual misconduct on Watson’s part, which was also a large portion of the context surrounding his benching.
Watson got his trade the following offseason, when Cleveland forfeited three first-round picks, along with several other draft assets, to acquire the QB. Upon landing him, the Browns fully guaranteed Watson’s $230 million deal, which keeps him under contract through 2026 and is functionally un-tradable considering how little/poorly he has played since signing it.
The NFL suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 campaign because of his off-field issues. He returned for the final six starts of the season, going 3-3 and completing 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards, 7 TDs and 5 INTs.
Watson’s numbers were a little better in 2023, when he completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards, 7 TDs and 4 INTs. Cleveland went 5-1 across that stretch, though much of the credit belongs to the aforementioned No. 1 defense, which was playing its best football of the season during that time.
Browns Have Multiple Viable Options at QB Behind Deshaun Watson Including Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley
Kenyon noted that because of Watson’s guaranteed contract, Cleveland may not find itself in a place to move forward with any other quarterback in 2025 or 2026. While that is a reasonable assumption, it’s just as possible the Browns file the remainder of the deal in the category of sunk costs and move on to one of the several viable backups currently on the roster.
That change could happen as early as mid-season 2024, as former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston and former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley are both playing in Cleveland on one-year deals. Winston signed a $4 million, fully-guaranteed contract, while Huntley is playing for the Browns on a $1.3 million agreement that includes nearly $500,000 guaranteed.
Winston, 30, was a Pro Bowler during his rookie campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. He led the league in passing with 5,109 yards in 2019, the year before Watson accomplished the feat.
The Bucs eventually moved on from Winston, who has struggled with ball protection over the course of his nine-year pro career. He has tallied 141 TDs and 99 INTs in 93 games played, but also has amassed north of 22,000 passing yards and has 34 wins as an NFL starter to his credit compared to 46 losses.
Huntley, 26, has primarily played as a backup in the league, but has started nine games in his career (3-6). He was a surprise Pro Bowl replacement in 2022, despite starting just four games for the Ravens (2-2) and appearing in six regular-season contests that year.
Huntley has tallied 1,957 passing yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs in 20 games played, while also rushing for 509 yards and 3 scores on 115 total carries.
