Watch: Deshaun Watson throws interception during training camp as 26th lawsuit looms against Browns QB
Deshaun Watson came into the league in 2017 as a first-round pick for the Houston Texans. After a successful college career at Clemson, the quarterback put up some impressive stats in the early seasons of his NFL career, but ended his stint with the Texans with a 28-25 record.
At the end of the 2020 season, Watson demanded to be traded, stating he was dissatisfied with the direction the team was going. Just weeks after this, the first allegations of sexual misconduct against the Browns QB' started to surface. The team refused to trade him, resulting in the quarterback sitting out for the 2021 season, but no amount of lawsuits would stop the Cleveland Browns from making him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL in 2022.
A recent video shared to Twitter by Cleveland sports reporter Daryl Ruiter shows the three-time pro bowler working out with his new team. A year away seems to have made him a little rusty, as Grant Delpit picks off a pass intended for Amari Cooper.
Deshaun Watson looking for Amari Cooper in the back corner of the end zone. Grant Delpit had other plans #Browns https://t.co/9yS5IQNLtf
The playcaller may need some time to shake off a little dust, but there’s no doubt he’ll be ready by the start of the season. Whether he gets to play is an entirely different question.
The Watson deal and possible suspension is par for the course for the Cleveland Browns
In what may be the most Cleveland Browns move ever, the team signed the all rookie team qb in 2017 to a $230 million deal. In doing so, it offended their number one draft pick and franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield to the point where he requested a trade. Now, as the claims against the Clemson alum continue to come in, a suspension from the league seems imminent.
The signal caller has played for a poor team for most of his career. If he takes the field with Cleveland, he will have a much better defense, running game, and wide receiver room that features Amari Cooper. There's hope a chemistry could develop between Watson and Cooper that could match what he had with Deandre.
We had a memorable Day 2 of mandatory minicamp down at the @ProFootballHOF
Will that be enough to make the Browns a playoff team in the off-chance Deshaun does play this year? Probably not.
In a division that featured last year's AFC champs in the Cincinnati Bengals, Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens, and the always formidable Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns could end up in the basement regardless of who their starting quarterback is.