Trading for Deshaun Watson would make the Cleveland Browns worse

Deshaun Watson doesn’t make sense for the Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson has officially requested a trade from the Houston Texans, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a trade between Houston and the Cleveland Browns that would bring the fifth-year signal-caller to Cleveland in exchange for the 26th overall pick in 2021, the Browns first-round pick in 2022, their 2023 fourth-rounder, Baker Mayfield, and Odell Beckham Jr.

This kicked off a day of entirely reasonable discourse between fans on whether or not they would trade Mayfield for Watson. It’s not a realistic discussion, because Mayfield isn’t going anywhere, and the Browns, while they will look into every potential avenue to improve, would never be willing to meet Houston’s asking price for the three-time Pro Bowler.

Is Watson a better player than Mayfield is right now? Yes. He’s received poor coaching and has never played behind even an average offensive line, yet he’s developed into an elite passer. He completed 70.2 percent of his attempts in 2020 for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while adding 444 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Watson is a great quarterback, and he’ll instantly transform his new team into a legitimate contender. Throw him on the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, or Miami Dolphins, and those teams now have real Super Bowl aspirations.

The Browns already have those with Mayfield. They just lost to the unbeatable Kansas City Chiefs by five points, despite missing plenty of key pieces, trotting out a wide receiver group that actively makes the offense less threatening, and having barely any semblance of a defense. Those issues will be addressed this offseason, but that’s only because Cleveland has assets to address the issues with.