After today’s update to Deshaun Watson‘s legal situation, it is expected his trade market will intensify very quickly. A number of teams have long been known to be interested in the Pro Bowler, but another name to add to that list is the Browns. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the team has “done [its] homework” on Watson, and will continue to keep an eye on his availability.
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While Cabot is quick to note that “it remains to be seen if they’ll try to trade for him”, the fact they have done their due diligence on the matter is noteworthy. The Browns have Baker Mayfield under contract for one more year – the fully guaranteed fifth-year option, valued at $18.8M – and have publicly backed him as their starter for at least 2022.
Cabot also recalls that the Browns were among the teams who rated Mitch Trubisky over Watson amongst QBs in the 2017 draft, in which the team selected Myles Garrett first overall. Cleveland also owned pick No. 12 that year, but traded it to Houston, who then landed one of the league’s best young signal-callers. Trading for Watson (who has a no-trade clause and a scheduled cap hit of over $40M for next year) could, then, represent the righting of an organizational wrong in a sense.
Still, the Browns would face competition from the likes of the Buccaneers, Panthers and Seahawks to land Watson. Their stated priority with respect to upgrading the offense – the primary cause of 2021’s disappointing performance – has been to add to the wide receiver room. Between the “soul-searching” Cabot notes the team would do before executing any deal, as well as the acquisition cost of a trade, Cleveland therefore may well find itself among the clubs bowing out of serious consideration. Nevertheless, they could become another team to keep an eye on regarding one of the league’s top storylines.
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