Category: Deshaun Watson

Is former Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s career over with Browns?

Deshaun Watson’s season, and potentially time in Cleveland with the Browns, is over.

Deshaun Watson’s season is over.

Potentially, so is his time in Cleveland.

The former Houston Texans and current Browns quarterback suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during Sunday’s 21-14 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals and will miss the rest of the 2024 season.

Just after the two-minute warning, Watson dropped to the ground and grabbed at the back of his leg. He was loaded onto a cart and greeted by several of his teammates, who came over to offer their condolences.

As being taken back to the locker room, it appeared that Watson was crying as he wiped his face with a towel. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the injury did look like a season-ender even before the MRI.

Multiple players also called out Browns fans for booing the former Pro Bowl passer as he was being carted off.

“We don’t boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” defensive end Myles Garrett told reporters. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall.”

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It’s clear the Texans walk away as winners from the Watson trade orchestrated in the 2022 offseason. After missing most of the 2022 season due to suspension, Watson struggled in 2023.

Entering Sunday’s game, Watson had the lowest passer rating among all qualified quarterbacks. Through six games, Watson had totaled 1,020 yards passing with five touchdowns against three interceptions.

He also led the Browns to a 1-5 record.

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Even if Cleveland were to cut ties with Watson, it still would owe him $46 million in each of the next two seasons after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam dished out a new $230 million guaranteed contract following the trade. Meanwhile, Houston just finished using all the draft capital acquired in the deal and sits at 5-2.

Houston has a future with a new quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who remains in the hunt for the MVP conversation as the Texans return to NRG Stadium for their Week 8 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

Cleveland, which traded for Watson to shore up its quarterback situation, returns to the drawing board to find its long-term answer.

Browns’ QB struggles validate Texans’ approach to rebuild

The recent Cleveland Browns QB struggles only underscore how the Houston Texans quickly solved their problem under center.

The Houston Texans took a road less traveled in the NFL when it came to dealing with quarterback Deshaun Watson.

No doubt, a trade request from Watson shortly after the hiring of general manager Nick Caserio, and an onslaught of sexual assault allegations against him, made parting with the reigning NFL passing champion difficult.

Even if the Texans dealt away their starter, it meant going with inexperience under center for all of 2022. At least in the year prior, Tyrod Taylor brought experience to the position before injuries compelled rookie Davis Mills to start 11 games.

With the haul of draft picks obtained in the deal with the Cleveland Browns that helped Houston’s great reset at quarterback, the Texans were able to adequately address the situation in the 2023 NFL draft. C.J. Stroud has validated the organization’s approach to rebuilding under center, and it only took six games.

The Browns have had just 10 starts from Watson, and it doesn’t seem to be a situation that is tenable long-term.

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, the Browns are on the hook for a long while with their presumptive franchise quarterback. There can’t be one just season of hardship; the Browns may be looking at two.

The short answer is: not yet. If the Browns were to outright release Watson after 2023, per Over the Cap, they’d instantly lose $136.9 million, or roughly 53% of the entire projected 2024 salary cap. That cannot and will not happen. Even if they were to designate him a post-June 1 cut, the net loss would be $92M — also unfathomable. Barring a restructure on Watson’s end (which seems highly unlikely, considering his representation specifically negotiated a fully guaranteed deal that even included workarounds for his 2022 suspension), the soonest the Browns could cut the QB without losing tens of millions is 2026, the final year of his deal.

The Texans were patient and able to land Stroud. Having their quarterback on a rookie contract makes a return to competing for the AFC South that much easier.

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Deshaun Watson: HC Kevin Stefanski a premier play-caller in the NFL

Speaking on a podcast today, Deshaun Watson had high praise for his head coach

The offseason is underway, the Cleveland Browns are making big changes to their coaching staff, and head coach Kevin Stefanski and Deshaun Watson are going to figure out how to get the offense back on track in 2023. The quarterback has only glowing things to say about his head coach when he jumped on a podcast with this private quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery today. On the podcast, Watson called his head coach one of the premier play-callers in the league.

This showed as Stefanski got top-10 quarterback play out of Jacoby Brissett, so there is a reason for optimism that he and Watson can get it figured out this offseason.

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PFN low on Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson after 2022 showing

PFN not confident Watson bounces back

Quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in his six games in 2022 after a prolonged absence from the Cleveland Browns. One of the biggest questions heading into 2023 surrounds his ability to return to form. This has caused some to be worried he won’t return to the elite player he was in 2020. Pro Football Network released their 2022 quarterback power rankings for the postseason and 2023 season and they have Watson near the bottom.

PFN’s rankings have Watson in their Tier 5 “concerning” tier with an overall ranking of 29th. It is understandable why he struggled and also why people are concerned he might not be able to bounce back.

There were flashes of the elite player the Browns traded for but also no consistent improvements over the six games. Now Watson gets a full offseason without splitting reps and a looming hiatus from the team. With that being said he absolutely should look better in 2023 and if he doesn’t it will set the franchise back for several more years.

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Texans’ divorce with QB Deshaun Watson may affect courting of C.J. Stroud

@bigsargesportz details how the Houston Texans’ handling of the Deshaun Watson divorce may have an impact on their possible courtship of Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud.

With the NFL deadline for college underclassmen to declare early for the 2023 NFL draft, one name that remains absent from the list is causing some significant concerns for a couple of teams in dire need of a quarterback in the NFL.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has until Monday, Jan. 16 to make himself available to be drafted or return to college for his junior year. It has been speculated that the delay is that Stroud is weighing his options regarding some of the NIL (name, image, and likeness) packages that would be very attractive for him to return to Columbus.

Stroud’s agent David Mulugheta may have some reservations about working with the Houston Texans, who is a strong candidate to draft his client with the number two overall selection in the draft.

Mulugheta also represents former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Houston believed that Watson was on course to lead the franchise to the next level and even signed their former 2017 first-round pick to a four-year, $177.5 million contract extension with $111 million in guarantees, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season.

By the end of the 2020 campaign, Watson was frustrated with the Texans’ front office and demanded a trade. The organization refused to meet his demands which caused him to threaten to sit out until his needs were met. During that time, sexual harassment allegations surfaced, and multiple women accused Watson of being a sexual deviant. He would sit out the entire 2021 season as he went through his legal issues and was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March for multiple draft picks.

As Watson’s agent, Mulugheta was front and center when dealing with the Texans during the end of his client’s tenure in Houston. With the uncertainty of the direction in which the organization was headed after firing Bill O’Brien, who served as the coach and general manager, Watson wanted out, and it was his agent’s job to meet his demands.

His constant back and forth with ownership and general manager Nick Caserio was not always pleasant, and the unwillingness to meet Watson’s trade demand left an impressionable mark on Mulugheta, who also represents some of the league’s best talent.

With the delay of Stroud’s declaration, one is left to wonder if this may be a power play by Mulugheta to extract some revenge on the Texans for their treatment of Watson before the sexual harassment allegations.

There is a strong possibility that if Stroud makes himself available, he could go number one overall if the Indianapolis Colts are willing to make a proposal to the Chicago Bears for the pick.

Colts owner Jim Irsay has made hints that he is willing to do whatever it takes to negotiate with Chicago to get the pick. If that happens, the Colts could draft Stroud, but the consensus is that they have their eyes set on former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young from Alabama, which would leave Stroud on the board for the Texans to select.

If Stroud decides to go back to college for another year, he could be hurting his draft status for the 2024 NFL draft when quarterbacks such as USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye would be considered the first two quarterbacks to come off the board. If he stays, he could also make up to $15 million for one year in NIL endorsements.

Whatever decision will be made will have to be done expeditiously as the clock is ticking towards the Jan. 16 deadline.

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Deshaun Watson on returning to Houston: ‘All that stuff was a lot’

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson admitted a lot went into his return to Houston and facing his old team in his return from his suspension.

After an 11-game suspension, quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to the field against his former team, the Houston Texans. While he was rusty and did not play like the Watson of 2020 for the Cleveland Browns after 700 days away from football, he admitted his return to Houston hit him more than anticipated.

Speaking to the media today, Watson had this to say:

“Last week, it was a lot – the anticipation to just be back on the field, the anticipation of going back to my former team, the anticipation of playing against former teammates and being in front of a crowd that used to cheer for me at the time. All of that stuff was definitely a lot. I am human so I definitely have things running through my mind and through just my soul in general. I am glad that is out of the way. I am glad we got the win. I am just trying to look forward to this week. It is going to be a hostile environment in Cincinnati. It is going to be fun. We just have to go out there and make sure we execute the gameplan.”

Now one game under his belt, the Browns will look for Watson to return to form as they enter a must-win against the Cincinnati Bengals this week.

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Texans’ quarterback woes prevalent in Deshaun Watson return with Browns

The Houston Texans’ quarterback problems were on full display as Deshaun Watson returned to NRG Stadium with the Cleveland Browns.

HOUSTON — The fans came and booed loudly to let quarterback Deshaun Watson know he was not welcomed back in the place he used to call home. They screamed out things from the stands that were unsafe to say in any setting.

Yet, in the end, the Houston Texans fans walked out of NRG with the same emotions and bewilderment most had when they entered the stadium after the Texans lost their seventh consecutive game by a score of 27 -14 to the Cleveland Browns.

Many Houston Texans fans had Sunday’s game marked on their calendars after the NFL revealed that Watson would make his return to the field after serving a suspension for violating the league’s Code of Conduct policy against his former team. He was disgruntled with the Texans organization and demanded a trade in 2021.

It was later revealed that multiple women alleged that Watson sexually assaulted and harassed them during private massage sessions.

Houston traded him in the offseason to Cleveland. He served a 12-game suspension issued by the NFL after settling most of the cases in civil court after two grand juries didn’t find enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

The diehard faithful fans that attend games, buy team merchandise, and flood social media with the support of the Texans filled the stands on Sunday to let Watson know that the love for the franchise is still there, despite his departure.

They must have forgotten that the quarterback that eventually would replace Watson was benched for ineffectiveness, and his backup was starting. It only took one play for the fans to realize that it would be a very long day.

Kyle Allen hurled a 32-yard pass to tight end Teagan Quitoriano to open the game. The play looked promising until the tight end lost control of the football when he made contact with the field. The ball propelled into the air and found its way into the hands of Browns safety John Johnson.

That play would be a premonition for the Texans’ offense as they would continue to be unproductive throughout the game. A squandered opportunity on the Browns’ one-yard line in the second quarter and a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones didn’t hurt as much as the turnovers later in the game by Allen (fumble, interception) that were returned for touchdowns.

“Eventually, we’ve got to have some production on the offensive side,” said Texans head coach Lovie Smith. “We’ve got to score points. We were in it, holding them, taking the ball away. On defense that’s what we’ve been stressing a lot. We’ve got to get our offense more opportunities in favorable situations. But when we get down in the red zone – we had opportunities today. We’ve got to be able to convert some kind of way.”

Many more questions will be asked each week about an inept offense that has shown no signs of improvement after making a quarterback change from Davis Mills to Kyle Allen.

Last week against the Miami Dolphins, Allen was shaking off the rust of not having played competitive football in almost a full calendar year.

This week against the Browns, Allen had all the first-team reps in practice. He got more familiar with the playbook and had a better feel for what offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton wanted to accomplish. But when it was time for all of that to manifest itself in game time situations, Allen looked as if he had just received the game plan the morning of the game.

“Last week, Kyle (Allen) hadn’t played a lot of ball,” Smith told reporters after the game. “We were hoping the play would be a little bit better this week. Our play overall wasn’t as good this week… We’re not a good offense right now. We’re still searching for what we can do well. When we did try to run the football, I thought Dameon Pierce continues to play the same way, but we’ve got to find a way, some kind of way, to get our passing game going.”

The Texans could go back to Mills to end the season, but with their next two games being against teams who have aspirations of going deep into the postseason, the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, the results will be the same.

Watson ran off the field to boos from the Texans fans, which remained despite the game’s score. They wanted him to know that they did not like how he left the franchise in disarray, trying to figure out how long the rebuild would take.

It will be back to business in two weeks as usual, as the fans will boo and complain loudly towards the Texans sideline.

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Deshaun Watson just along for the ride in Browns’ 27-14 win over the Texans

Deshaun Watson was hardly the impetus for the Cleveland Browns’ 27-14 win over the Houston Texans in Week 13.

It was a much anticipated return to NRG Stadium for Cleveland Brown’s quarterback Deshaun Watson and the cold embrace of a fanbase that once considered him the future of their franchise.

Watson had not played football since the conclusion of the 2020 season and in those nearly two years had gone through a public saga of an ugly trade request with the Houston Texans organization, 26 sexual assault allegations, and a blockbuster trade that ultimately landed him with the Browns.

Cleveland sent three first-round picks in addition to three other selections this past March in exchange for the services of Watson. After serving a 11-game suspension for his off-the-field conduct, this was the first time Browns fans were able to see their new signal caller and, coincidentally, the first time Houston welcomed Watson back to the city.

Lovie Smith’s defense didn’t allow for much of a celebration.

The unit held Watson to just 12 of 22 passing for 131 yards and one interception during the Texans’ 27-14 loss. He struggled with his accuracy well into the second half with balls seemingly diving low at every attempt.

The highlight of the day for the defense, and potentially Houston’s entire season, came in the first quarter when rookie safety Jalen Pitre picked off Watson in the end zone on a play where he perfectly read the veteran quarterback’s eyes. This was the cherry on top of a great contest for Pitre that featured 16 total tackles.

Defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo contributed the Texans only sack of Watson on the day but they were able to find pressure and hold the scrambling quarterback to just seven carries for 21 yards.

Houston’s offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain for Houston. Turnovers from quarterback Kyle Allen gifted the Browns two touchdowns and they found their way to another score via a long punt return from wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

The team’s improved defensive play will continue to be meaningless until Houston can find a way to score points. However, it is certainly encouraging to watch rookies like Pitre take their strides forward during a season that now has the Texans officially eliminated from the playoffs.

The Texans (1-10-1) will play at Dallas (8-3) next week.

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WATCH: Texans DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo sacks Browns QB Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo managed to sack Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in Week 13.

Deshaun Watson made his return to NRG Stadium in Week 13.

The Houston Texans traded their former 2017 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns during free agency in March and netted three first-round picks through 2024.

Watson also served an 11-game suspension related to allegations of sexual assault. His first game back was against the Texans.

Defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo managed to sack Watson during the third quarter on a third-and-5 from the 50-yard line. The Browns were forced to punt following the loss of yards.

Houston couldn’t do anything on the next possession and went three-and-out with Kyle Allen under center, making his second start for Houston.

WATCH: Texans S Jalen Pitre intercepts Browns QB Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre intercepted Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in Week 13 at NRG Stadium.

The Houston Texans were welcoming back a familiar face in Week 13 at NRG Stadium.

Quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns for the first time since the offseason trade between the two sides was Deshaun Watson, whose demands to get out of Houston have been well documented.

Rookie safety Jalen Pitre in a way was a result of the standoff between Watson and the Texans as their 4-13 record in 2021 allowed Houston to be in position to take the Baylor product No. 37 overall in Round 2.

Pitre got his third interception of the year when he picked off Watson in the end zone on a first-and-10 from the Texans’ 11-yard line.