It appears that Deshaun Watson’s stint at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns may be done for good.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Browns are widely expected to use the second pick of the coming NFL draft to select one of the top two quarterbacks of this year’s class—either Miami’s Cam Ward, or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
Per Graziano, “There's a strong chance Watson has played his final game as a Brown. Cleveland is thinking about what comes next at the position.”
Should Watson’s time in Cleveland be officially done, it would bring the end to a disastrous run with the Browns.
Watson joined the Browns on a five-year contract worth $230 million that was fully guaranteed after being traded from the Houston Texans in 2022. Cleveland sent over three years’ worth of first-round picks to get the deal done. At the time, Watson had already been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.
Since coming to Cleveland, Watson has played in just 19 games for the Browns, never playing more than seven games in a single year, and has dealt with ongoing injuries. A re-ruptured right Achilles tendon is set to potentially keep him off the field in 2025. Even when healthy and on the field, his play has done little to inspire confidence that he could lead a winning team—he was regularly outplayed by the backups that replaced him under center.
Complicating the Browns’ decision to move forward is the outstanding money on Watson’s contract—he’s still due $92 million over the next two seasons. Cleveland picking up a rookie quarterback would help keep costs at the position as reasonable as possible given the circumstances.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Insider: ‘Strong Chance’ Deshaun Watson Has Played His Last Game for Browns.
