Dawgs By Nature
The Deshaun Watson era with the Cleveland Browns will be studied and debated for years to come.
Watson arrived in town in 2022 after sitting out the previous season while in a dispute with the Houston Texans. All it cost the Browns was three first-round draft selections, $230 million in guaranteed money, and an immeasurable amount of goodwill with the fan base over Watson’s off-field conduct while with the Texans.
The veteran Watson, who threw for 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2020, was going to be the adult in the room who could finally solve Cleveland’s quest to fix the quarterback position.
It hasn’t worked that way, of course, since joining the Browns, Watson:
Add it all up, and for their big investment, the Browns have received 19 games, 3,365 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 70 sacks.
It appeared that everyone had seen the last of Watson in a Cleveland uniform a year ago when owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that acquiring Watson was a “big swing and a miss” on the part of the Browns. All that was left to do was wait out the remaining time on Watson’s contract and move on after the 2026 season.
But a funny, or sad, depending on where you land in the debate, happened on the way to Watson’s much-anticipated departure.
The Browns still don’t have a solid plan at quarterback, which head coach Todd Monken is quickly realizing, which means that there is a very real chance that Watson will be in the huddle for Cleveland’s first offensive series on September 13 in Jacksonville.
It has been a long, strange trip for Watson, who is ready to put the past behind him and focus on this unexpected opportunity, as he said during a media appearance on Tuesday (all quotes via a team-provided transcript):
“I can’t look in the past. I can’t look in the rearview mirror. You know, obviously, you know those situations, and you have those experiences, but at the same time, you got to keep pushing forward. So, my mentality is one day at a time and ‘4OVE’. I think you guys have seen it on social media: focus only on victories every day. So that’s all I focus on, is just being able to keep pushing forward and keep stepping forward and standing 10 toes down, then I’ll be good.”
Having a short memory is great. You throw an interception, shake it off, and get back to the next play.
But Watson’s situation is different in that he has never fully been embraced by the fans. So how will he handle things if this...
