The Cleveland Browns have lived in quarterback purgatory for decades. It’s why the franchise chose to trade for Deshaun Watson amid more than two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct. Less than two years later, the Browns’ quarterback woes continue.
Since the 1999 NFL season, the Browns have had 36 different players start at quarterback in a regular-season game. While the level of performance has varied, Derek Anderson (2007) was the only one to receive a Pro Bowl selection since 1987.
Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Houston Texans, was supposed to fix all that and turn Cleveland into a Super Bowl contender. Instead, the Browns may now be responsible for the worst trade in NFL history and the ramifications will last for years to come.
Deshaun Watson’s on-field performance speaks for itself
Cleveland had a good quarterback situation in 2022. While Watson served his suspension, Jacoby Brissett performed like an above-average starting quarterback. Meanwhile, backup Joshua Dobbs has since proven to be an effective fill-in starter.
At a minimum, Watson has been outperformed by Brissett and his numbers are on par with Dobbs’ starts with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals. We can also compare Watson’s numbers to some other mid-tier quarterbacks who are viewed as fringe starters.
Explanations can be made for why Watson is struggling. He went 700 days without playing in a regular-season game, receiving limited practice reps across 1.5 seasons when he was either suspended or not allowed to play for Houston. It’s why the 2023 season was supposed to be the year when it all came together.
Of course, Watson’s shoulder injury could be attributed to some of his woes this season. Originally suffered in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, the 28-year-old has already missed multiple games this season because of damage to his subscapularis muscle, which impacted the velocity, accuracy and mechanics of his throws.
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Cleveland handled the injury bizarrely, twice clearing Watson to play only for its star quarterback to sit out with reports from Watson’s camp shedding more light on the specific nature of the injury. Yet, the excuse of injury-caused struggles wasn’t afforded to Mayfield by the same Browns organization in 2021.
Nothing has changed in Cleveland. At the very least, the time away from football has seemed to make Watson’s decision-making versus pressure worse and his responsibility for the pressures allowed hasn’t improved.
While time to recover might’ve healed Watson’s shoulder injury and will lead to him making more accurate throws, spending even more time away from the field won’t improve how he responds to pressure. Plus, the constant duress and hits he experiences lead to even greater long-term injury risks.
Cleveland can’t escape the Deshaun Watson contract
Fittingly, the biggest reason why this is the worst trade in NFL history is because of what made it happen. A single decision made by owner Jimmy Haslam is the primary reason why the Browns are stuck in a self-created impossible situation they can’t escape from.
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