Browns GM has cryptic response on Deshaun Watson’s future in Cleveland

Cleveland’s sewage a backmost problem — and they whitethorn beryllium getting person to admitting it.

Speaking pinch reporters connected Wednesday, Browns wide head Andrew Berry was noncommittal connected Deshaun Watson’s future, saying, “It’s ever possible,” he will play for nan franchise again. 

That’s a acold agelong from nan patient committedness nan squad has maintained passim his tenure of mediocre play and off-field controversies that person included accusations of intersexual assault.

Considering that location are astatine slightest 2 years remaining connected Watson’s statement and that nan Achilles wounded nan awesome caller suffered successful Week 7 is believed to beryllium season-ending — not career-ending — it doesn’t precisely animate confidence.

“Really our attraction pinch Deshaun, I would opportunity for immoderate subordinate pinch a season-ending wounded and a awesome injury, is first and foremost to make judge that he gets healthy,” Berry said. “Everything else, we’ll woody pinch astatine a later moment.”

“Everything else” is shorthand for nan galore questions that situation Watson aft a disastrous first half of nan 2024 season.

After a promising 2023 run successful which nan franchise vanished pinch a grounds of 11-6 (2020 being nan only different play since 1994 erstwhile they’d vanished pinch much than 10 wins), nan Browns person only 2 victories done nan first 9 weeks of 2024. 

While Watson had his moments successful 2023, it was seasoned Joe Flacco who spearheaded nan team’s second-half tally to nan playoffs aft Watson suffered a season-ending enarthrosis injury.

Watson, who was acquired successful hugely arguable fashion up of nan 2022 season, played successful conscionable 1 of those wins — a Week 2 conclusion of nan paltry Jacksonville Jaguars. 

And now, nan 29-year-old is staring down his second season-ending wounded successful arsenic galore years. 

All told, crossed his first 3 years successful Cleveland, Watson has yet to compete successful much than 7 games successful 1 season. When he has recovered nan field, nan results person been lackluster. 

Since making his debut for nan Browns, his 33.8 Total QBR, ranks second-to-last among qualifying passers, per ESPN.

This play had been historically bad. Before nan injury, Watson’s QBR classed dormant past successful nan league.

He had led nan squad to a dismal 1-5 grounds and his Browns had grounded to people much than 20 points successful immoderate 1 game. 

“We haven’t played good arsenic a squad and we haven’t played good arsenic a portion connected offense…” Berry said. “When you don’t play good connected offense, evidently your starting backmost and your playcaller will get nan astir criticism.

“[But] it comes down to statement and synchronization. There’s conscionable a batch of shared ownership crossed nan different position groups successful position of why we didn’t perform.”

On nan taxable of ownership, Watson signed a afloat guaranteed $230 cardinal statement earlier nan 2022 play and is owed $46 cardinal successful each of his adjacent two.

Should nan franchise and backmost portion ways, nan dormant headdress hits for those seasons will full $271 million.