Deshaun Watson says he wants the preseason work, but the Cleveland Browns’ bigger problem isn’t whether he gets snaps. It’s that the team still has to live with the reality of his contract and the baggage that came with trading for him.
Watson, who is splitting first-team reps with Shedeur Sanders, said he is healthy and eager to get back on the field. “I haven't played football in a long time, so for me, it doesn't matter how long I play, how many games I play.
I just want to play football,” Watson said." A lot of people wrote me off and said that I wouldn't be playing football again after two Achilles injuries.
So I'm proving that wrong, and I'm proving myself right. So it's a great opportunity for me to get out there and showcase what I can do."
The Browns may feel obligated to keep giving him chances because of that fully guaranteed deal, but there isn’t much football logic behind it. Cleveland wants to win now, and the organization has made it clear this is not being treated like a rebuilding year. Even so, it’s tough to look at Watson and say he gives the Browns a better shot than Sanders.
That’s especially true given what Watson has shown in Cleveland so far. The article makes the case that he has not been a top-40 quarterback in the league right now, and that his time with the Browns has not come close to justifying the investment.
He is older now, and he is coming off a twice-torn Achilles tendon. Those are not small variables.
Some will point to Kevin Stefanski or the supporting cast as reasons Watson might look different now. But if those pieces are better, that same logic would seem to help Sanders too. The Browns can’t keep pretending Watson is the answer just because the contract says he should be in the conversation.
And even if Watson does flash in the preseason, the long-term question still hangs over everything. Why would Cleveland want him back in 2027 unless he is willing to take a massive pay cut?
Why would another team be eager to get his agent on the phone? The article’s view is blunt: Watson has been a distraction since arriving in Berea, and he has not done enough to earn continued patience.
He can lean on the injury excuse only so far. If he struggles in the preseason, there will be no convincing the fan base that he deserves another first-team rep.
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