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The Cleveland Browns have waited four years to see if quarterback Deshaun Watson can return to the form he flashed in Houston.
In three seasons as the full-time starter for the Texans, Watson averaged 4,280 passing yards, 28 touchdown passes, five rushing touchdowns, and completed 68.7 percent of his passes.
That version of Watson, sadly, has been nowhere to be found in Cleveland, as he:
- Played six games in 2022 due to an NFL suspension related to his off-field activities in Houston
- Played six games in 2023 before a shoulder injury ended his season
- Played seven games in 2024 before an Achilles injury ended his season
- Played in zero games in 2025 after re-tearing his Achilles early in the year
So, for the low-low price of $230 million in guaranteed money and three first-round draft picks sent to the Texans as part of the trade, the Browns have seen Watson pass for a total of 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and complete 61.2 percent of his passes.
That performance contributed to the loss of more than one coach, and the off-field issues turned off a portion of the fan base that may never return.
The Browns are entering the final year of Watson’s contract this season, and because it would be financially imprudent to cut him due to an $80.7 million cap hit, he will be on the roster this fall.
But that does not mean, and never has meant, he will play another down of meaningful football for the Browns.
Watson supporters, if there are still any in town, will point to new head coach Todd Monken as a possible avenue for Watson to get back on the field. The Browns have no viable starting options at the moment at quarterback, and Monken previously acknowledged how good Watson was while playing for the Texans.
But while Monken may be coming in with a “clean slate” mentality regarding the roster, on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, he said everyone, including the team’s high-priced veteran quarterback, is going to have to earn their time (quote via the Akron Beacon Journal):
“I think anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again, and I think that’s how you should look at every player. I’ve said that. You guys have heard me say it. I’m going to let it play out.
“I think it’d be completely unfair, just like it would be in any classroom setting, be it a history exam, and all the students walk in, and before they’re actually given the exam, you give them a grade. Well, how would you give them a grade? Based on male, female, race, how they look, how they’re dressed? I think that’s unfair.
“Now you’re going to have some preconceived notions, obviously, because we have prior evidence, but I don’t decide who plays. The players decide who plays. I’ve never decided who plays.”
There is no harm in Monken saying he will let the situation play out, but he was hired in large part because the Browns need someone to fix the offense, starting with the quarterback position.
And if Monken is everything the Browns believe him to be, at some point this summer, he will reach the conclusion that has been obvious to Browns fans for the past four years.
The Houston version of Deshaun Watson is never coming back.