The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to licking their self-inflicted wounds, but after news broke Wednesday that quarterback Deshaun Watson was having season-ending shoulder surgery, they face an impossible task of trying to save face with their fan base.
By the end of the 2023 season, the Browns will have paid Watson $91.367M ($45.367M in 2022, $46M in 2023) for 341 pass attempts, 2,217 yards, 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
The Browns have announced Deshaun Watson will undergo season-ending surgery.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2023
Since signing a 5-yr/$230M deal with the Browns, Watson has played a combined 12 games over two seasons, earning $92M in cash ($7.7M per game). pic.twitter.com/AEroqgZVkk
On top of the exorbitant amount of money Watson has cost the team ($230M guaranteed through 2026), he also is the reason why they won’t be drafting in the first round until 2025. Cleveland sent a huge draft haul — including three first-round picks — to Houston for the polarizing QB, who was accused of sexual misconduct toward several female massage therapists and also had 22 civil lawsuits pending.
Cleveland can’t get out of Watson’s contract without crippling itself financially until the final year of his deal in 2026. If the Browns were to cut Watson at the end of the 2023 season, it would cost them $136.9M (53% of their projected 2024 salary cap), per Over the Cap.
It would cost the Browns $72.9M if they cut him in 2025 (nearly 30% of their salary cap) but just $8.98M if they did so in 2026, though they would still eat north of $72M in dead cap.
Things wouldn’t look as bleak if Cleveland had a competent backup in place, like say, Joshua Dobbs, who the Browns traded to the Arizona Cardinals in August for a 2024 fifth-round pick.
Dobbs threw for 1,569 yards, ran for 258 yards and accounted for 11 touchdowns in Arizona before being shipped to the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
In two games with the Vikings (both wins), Dobbs has accounted for 536 yards and five touchdowns — the kind of performance that would come in handy now for a 6-3 Browns team that occupies the No. 6 seed in the AFC.
Cleveland tabbed rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as its Week 11 starter against the Steelers. In his lone start, a 28-3 loss to Baltimore in Week 4, he was sacked four times and completed 52.8% of his passes for 121 yards and three interceptions.
With a new starting QB, Cleveland must play five teams in its eight remaining games that are fighting for a playoff spot (Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Houston, the New York Jets and Cincinnati).
We're sorry, Cleveland.
Due to Deshaun Watson's injury, ESPN Analytics has dropped the Browns from an 80% chance to make the playoffs to 63%.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2023
In addition, these team's chances have increased:
Texans go from 54% to 58%
Steelers go from 55% to 58%
Bengals go from 36% to 39% pic.twitter.com/1oVki2JhVF
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