The Big Lead

Cleveland Browns owner admits team made one of the dumbest moves in NFL history

It's not like the Browns are used to good quarterback play, but DeShaun Watson has certainly not lived up to the hype.

By Matt Reed

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, poses for a portrait with general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski during Watson's introductory news conference on March 26, 2022, at the Browns training facility in Berea.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, poses for a portrait with general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski during Watson's introductory news conference on March 26, 2022, at the Browns training facility in Berea. / Jeff Lange/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Browns have about as bad of luck as a team could possibly have when it comes to selecting franchise quarterbacks, and they're most recent experiment with DeShaun Watson not only hasn't yielded wins but it's set the team back for years in terms of the amount of money they've had to pay him.

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When the Browns brought in Watson on a five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract there were certainly skeptics out there with the deal, but the consensus was that he might finally be the missing piece the franchise has been searching for after decades of rough quarterback play.

While the rest of the NFL has now had the opportunity to see how poorly things have gone down for Cleveland since the deal was made, even the Browns are starting to publicly acknowledge the error of their ways.

Owner Jimmy Haslam called acquiring Watson a "big swing and miss" when asked about the current state of the franchise, and even asked fans and the media to "hold us accountable" for Cleveland's on-field struggles since bringing in the former Houston Texans star.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, talking with coach Kevin Stefanski at 2022 minicamp, has only played in 19 of the Browns' 52 game
Quarterback Deshaun Watson, talking with coach Kevin Stefanski at a 2022 minicamp session, has only played in 19 of the Browns' 52 games since being acquired from the Texans in 2022. / Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's very likely that after Watson's Achilles tear last season he'll never step foot on the field again for the Browns, or maybe even another NFL team, as a starting quarterback. However, given Cleveland's history of rotten play at the most important position in football it's honestly not shocking things have gone down this way.

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