NFL analyst reveals why sun might be rising on Deshaun Watson after controversy-soaked opening to 2020s
Deshaun Watson will enter the 2023 NFL season with massive expectations considering how much the Cleveland Browns invested in him. They surrendered draft capital and signed Watson to the largest fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history last year, despite him being suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season.
The aggressive move by the Browns likely shows that they believe Deshaun Watson is capable of elevating them to become Super Bowl contenders. While many around the NFL may not think so highly of their chances, Sara Walsh recently appeared on Good Morning Football to discuss why she thinks their 2022 results are encouraging for their 2023 outlook.
Here's what Walsh had to say:
"Seven wins. Take those seven wins over to another division in the NFC South and you're one game out on winning the division. I mean the NFC South sort of skews everything, but yeah I think we're not talking enough about how this wasn't a two win team a year ago. This was a seven win team, and to that point it was sort of quietly seven wins, right?
"So let's go back a year prior. The Jaguars, who everyone's hot on and they walk into the postseason last year, they had three wins that year before. The Giants had four wins that year before. This is a seven wins Browns team that had a lot of controversy, that's got a quarterback that was just trying to get his feet back into the NFL and get settled."
Walsh added:
"I think it's a completely different story this year. And again, I'm not saying that that means that they're the favorites, and they've got Joe Burrow and Lamar to contend with. But I think overall, I think they're really quietly, if that's possible, in a really good position that they're not being talked about."
"This wasn't a 2 win team a year ago, this was a 7 win team..."
Should we be talking more about the 2023 Browns?
@Sara_Walsh https://t.co/FPpGeCTUk9
While the Browns finished in last place in the AFC North division last year, they were only two games shy of making an appearance in the NFL Playoffs. Making this even more impressive is that they did so with Jacoby Brissett as their primary quarterback for most of the year. With Deshaun Watson ready to go for Week 1 this year, the Browns may be ready to take a step forward in the 2023 NFL season.
Deshaun Watson's last full NFL season
The last time Deshaun Watson played a full NFL season was in 2020 when he was still a member of the Houston Texans. All he did was lead the entire NFL with 4,823 passing yards. He also ranked among the top five quarterbacks with 33 touchdowns passes and an impressive 112.4 passer rating. His elite performance is a big reason why the Browns went all-in to acquire him, despite the controversies off of the field.