Could the Cleveland Browns trade quarterback Deshaun Watson?

There is no way to deny the idea that Deshaun Watson’s move to the Cleveland Browns has not lived up to expectations. Whether it’s the controversy of his recent legal problems following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct or his limited time on the field due to injury and a subsequent operation, the end result is the same i.e., it hasn’t worked out. The question is, what now?

Pressure on Deshaun Watson continues to grow

Sunday’s game between the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season ended 33-17 in the Cowboys’ favor and while the score reflects a dominant performance by ‘America’s Team’, what it does not show is just how bad the Browns were in what was a one-sided contest from start to finish. At the risk of sounding harsh, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was one of the main reasons why that was the case, an idea that is further supported by the fact that he completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards to go with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Truth be told, there wasn’t a single point when Watson or the Browns offense looked like they were going to going to get it together. To that end, there was no surprise when knives were drawn in the post-Game review with one particular analyst from ESPN laying the blame squarely at Watson’s feet. Speaking on Monday morning’s Get Up, Dan Orlovsky alluded to the idea that it may be time for the Browns to consider putting their starting quarterback on the bench in favor of backup Jameis Winston. For context, Watson signed what was at the time the largest extension in NFL History when he put pen to paper on a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract in 2022.

“Quarterback is a problem in Cleveland,” said Orlovsky. “And if I was (head coach) Kevin Stefanski I’d be thinking long and hard about Jameis Winston and moving him to be my starting quarterback. They can’t run anything in Cleveland... Can’t run it with Deshaun because Deshaun isn’t ready to operate the play-action pass. He doesn’t see the field well. He’s not throwing with rhythm and timing. He’s missing receivers by six, seven yards. Not feet.” Now, in defense of Watson, there are a few things to consider. For starters, the Browns were without both their starting left and right tackles, meaning the Cowboys’ defense effectively had a free pass. Indeed, that probably explains why there were six sacks on Sunday.

On the other hand, there is no covering the notion that Watson was awful and so too were the Browns as a whole. Understandably, that is not a good look for a player whose contract value is as massive as mentioned above nor is it for the franchise itself. With that in mind, the Browns now face some tough choices. It goes without saying that moving Watson on will be extremely difficult given the size of his deal and even more so if they follow Orlovsky’s advice i.e., bench him for Winston. Conversely, if Watson continues to perform as he did on Sunday, the Browns’ campaign will almost certainly end in tears and so, one way or another a decision will have to be made. As we always say, stay tuned.