Deshaun Watson was supposed to come to Cleveland two years ago and save the future, but he has done the exact opposite. Now, heading into year three, he has a lot to prove, or he could be shown the door shortly.
Cleveland Browns Showed The Door To Baker Mayfield
In 2018, the Cleveland Browns took quarterback Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick, and he took the team to places they hadn’t been in a long time and even a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020-2021 NFL Playoffs.
A season later, Mayfield struggled through a shoulder injury and then was shown the door and traded to the Carolina Panthers months after the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson.
Mayfield struggled in Carolina and was released in the middle of the season. He then signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he put a great game-winning drive together on Thursday Night Football just a few days after signing.
The Oklahoma alum would head to Tampa Bay this season and put on a show, leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round and then lost to the Detroit Lions the next week.
Mayfield cashed in on a three-year, 100 million-dollar contract this offseason, and the guy who replaced him, Cleveland, can’t seem to stay on the field.
Deshaun Watson Has Nothing To Show In Two Years
When Watson came to the Browns in 2022 everyone knew his season would be cut short to start due to sexual assault allegations against him. He was suspended for the first 11 games that season and then returned to play the last six, where he looked very rusty. Then, in 2023, he dealt with a shoulder injury for most of the season, which only allowed him to make six starts.
Watson needs to turn it around this season, or the Browns trading for him and letting Mayfield go will look like a horrible decision. According to quarterback rankings from Pro Football Focus, Mayfield currently has the upper hand on Watson.
PFF Has Baker Mayfield At 20 and Deshaun Watson At 23
Trevor Sikkema from PFF ranked his 32 NFL quarterbacks going into the 2024 season, and of course, he had Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at number one. Still, he did have former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield ranked at 20th and Watson coming in a few spots behind him at 23.
Here is what Sikkema said about Mayfield,
“Mayfield played on a one-year, “prove-it” deal in 2023, where the “prove-it” part could have spelled the end of his time as an NFL starter. It wasn’t his best season, by the numbers, but it was enough to get him a three-year extension. His last four games of the year were the catalyst.
Overall, Mayfield was erratic, with 25 big-time throws and 22 turnover-worthy plays. But over the final four games he earned a top-10 passing grade, including an elite Week 15 performance on the road in Green Bay that propelled the Buccaneers to a strong finish and a playoff berth.”
Now this is what Sikkema had to say about Watson
“Watson has been a disappointment since joining the Cleveland Browns. He has played in just six games in each of the past two seasons due to suspension and injury, and he is coming off season-ending surgery to his throwing shoulder.
His numbers reflect all of that.
Deshaun Watson’s 58.7 cumulative PFF passing grade over the past two years ranks 53rd among qualifying passers. Still, his dominant days in a Texans uniform are not a figment of your imagination. Perhaps this is the year we see it again, though he is running out of time to prove it.”
