5 Cleveland Browns poised to breakout across the second half of the season

Deshaun Watson

And here we have it, the boss at the end of the game. Deshaun Watson’s return could go one of two ways; either he comes in and plays well, giving the Browns a chance to make the playoffs (assuming the next three games aren’t a disaster). The Browns have the Miami Dolphins, then the Buffalo Bills, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they get swept by those three teams, that puts the Browns at 3-8 and all but out of the playoffs. If they go 1-2, the Browns have an uphill battle and can’t afford another loss the rest of the way with Watson at quarterback. If they go 2-1 or even 3-0, that would put them at 5-6 or 6-5 and right in striking distance.

What we’re saying is, that Watson’s impact on the team will be predicated on how they do the next three games. Since Watson only gets his deal if he plays, there exists a scenario, regardless of how unlikely, that the Browns may sit Watson for 2022. This would mean in 2023 that his salary would be $1 million, as his contract would have been delayed.

This isn’t likely to happen, but it could conceivably happen if the Browns are out of the running. If Watson does play in 2022, no matter how few games, he’ll command his pay of $40+ for next season.

Watson could easily come out and sling the rock and look like an All-Pro over the last six games, and that is what everyone is expecting him to do. He could also very likely struggle, as he’s coming off nearly two full years of no action, and could very well need time to find his legs.

Plus, considering the Monstars have seemingly sucked the talent out of so many quarterbacks already this year (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, etc), who knows if they didn’t get to Watson as well.

That said, he has every chance in the world to prove his worth and has some decent targets around him. So he should have a decent few games to close out the year.