Deshaun Watson. Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL receiver rips Browns QB Deshaun Watson

Originally posted on NFL Analysis Network
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated 5/18/24

There may not be another player in the NFL with more to prove next season than Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Two years ago, the Browns acquired Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans, surrendering a king’s ransom of draft picks in return for him. Cleveland then handed Watson a massive, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, which was unprecedented.

Needless to say, it has not worked out very well for the Browns thus far.

Watson has played in just 12 games since joining Cleveland, as he served an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations in 2022 and was knocked out with a shoulder injury after just six contests last season.

The 28-year-old underwent surgery to repair the afflicted shoulder and is recovering, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1.

There is a lot of pressure on Watson going into 2024, and former NFL receiver and current Fox Sports analyst James Jones recently had some harsh words for the signal-caller.

“If we’re really, truly keeping it 100, Deshaun Watson has been one of the worst quarterbacks in our league,” Jones said on FS1’s Speak. “And I can say that because we have seen how special he could be. Since he’s got to the Cleveland Browns, there have been a lot of ‘what are you doing’ plays. We can say eventually, the Houston dude will come back. But maybe the Houston dude is gone.”

.@89JonesNTAF explains why Deshaun Watson has a lot of pressure on him to perform well this season. pic.twitter.com/HAsnPyP5zi
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 14, 2024

Jones added that if Watson does not play well next season, the Browns will get rid of him, noting that 39-year-old Joe Flacco managed to take Cleveland to the playoffs this past year.

In the six games he played in 2023, Watson threw for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 84.3.

The Browns did go 5-1 in his starts, but that had more to do with their defense than it had to do with Watson actually playing good football.

Watson made three straight Pro Bowls with the Texans between 2018 and 2020, so we all know that he is capable of doing great things on the field.

We’ll see if Deshaun Watson can bounce back and return to the MVP-caliber form he had in Houston and lead Cleveland to its second straight postseason appearance next season.

His career may depend on it.

This article first appeared on NFL Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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