by When the Browns traded away 3 first round draft picks to the Houston Texans in March of 2022 and agreed to pay Deshaun Watson 232 million Dollars guaranteed, we knew the pressure would be on Watson from day one. Especially when you factor in the Browns already had a number one overall NFL Draft Pick starting at quarterback on the roster, who had won them a playoff game in Pittsburgh.
Owner Jimmy Haslam, GM Andrew Barry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski were enamored with Watson, and didn’t care for Baker Mayfield, this made the move a bit easier so they pulled the trigger on a deal with the Houston Texans. Since then, let’s take a brief look at what the Browns have gotten in return.
Months upon months of waiting for the NFL to make a decision on the suspension of Deshaun Watson for allegations against him, that to this day, were never proven. Despite that, an independent arbitrator handed down a 6-game suspension, that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell bumped up to 11 games.
Last year was a lost season for the Browns as by the time Watson actually saw the field for a regular season game, the Browns were 4-7 and their chances at the playoffs were over. Watson then, played awful in that six-game stretch to end the season as it almost seemed Stefanski was holding back and just waiting to have him for a full season. Using those six games, just to knock some of the rust off Watson.
With that also being said, fans and media alike thought we’d see a five tool, gun slinging, touchdown tossing Watson start the 2023 season. Sadly, it has been anything but, as he has played in 4 games, and looked awful in the first two, good against Tennessee and then awful again against the Colts before exiting in the first quarter.
However, even with all of that, the Browns are 6-4 in the games he has started. He has thrown 11 touchdowns next to only 8 interceptions, and kept the Browns in the game long enough last year to possibly beat the Saints and the Steelers. Heck, I would go as far to say he didn’t completely kill their chances of winning in Pittsburgh this year either.
Despite that, the facts are the facts, the numbers are the numbers, and the 232 Million Dollar Man, has looked more like Virgil, the bodyguard for the WWF’s Million Dollar Man. Million Dollar body, ten cent return. Thus far…….
He has played in 10 total games, more than enough of a sample size for a grade. Cole and myself breakdown the good, the bad, and the ugly of Watson’s short time here in Cleveland with a grade. It’s not a final grade, but enough of one that he will want to improve on if and when he sees the field again this season.
What grade did Cole and I give him? You may be surprised, the grade is given on the below clip as part of our Weekly NFL Climate Tech Inc Prediction Show.
Watson has truancy problem and is not showing up. He has not shown up enough to even receive a grade. I am giving him an unsatisfactory report card and requiring he get it signed by his parents.
I would give him a D+. He isn’t even a shell of his former self. Sad to say, but when his kryptonite (massages) was taken away, he lost it all. His story is similar to Tiger Woods, who was never the same after his transgressions were exposed. I hate to say it, but it’s unlikely Watson will ever produce much for the Browns.