J.J. Watt officially on Cleveland Browns radar?

Could the Cleveland Browns make a play for J.J. Watt?

After a heartfelt message on Friday morning, it appears that J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans will mutually be parting ways as the team plans to release Watt at his request.

In 10 seasons with the Houston Texans Watt has accumulated over 100 sacks and twice led the league in 2012 and 2015.

Could the Cleveland Browns be contenders to land Watt? Many believe the answer is yes.

After starting his career with five straight seasons of not missing a game, Watt has only played in 16 games twice in the last five years because of injuries. Even though he played the full season in 2020, his numbers were down with only 5 sacks and 52 tackles on the season.

However, many believe that Watt may be out of gas in the tank, but that just isn’t true. With the lack of talent on the defensive line in Houston, Watt faced more double teams than nearly any other player in the league. With a fresh start and a chance to win, Watt certainly has at least a year or two of having the ability to perform at an All-Pro level.

Why would Watt be the perfect fit in Cleveland? One, he and Myles Garrett would be the best defensive end combination in the league. The ability to rush the passer with just your front four is the biggest advantage in the NFL.

Two, the Browns are in a peak window to compete for a title if they can upgrade the defense. Extension to Mayfield and Ward may have to be pushed to the next offseason, but the Browns should be all-in trying to lure Watt to Cleveland.

The Browns will have the money with Olivier Vernon out of a contract to throw at Watt, and with a dominant defensive line, Andrew Berry can once again ignore the linebacker position which is easy to do in an analytical regime.

Last but certainly not least, there is no better human being than Watt who has done so much for the community. With all the catastrophes in Houston of the last decade, no one has helped pick up the city more than Watt who has raised a ridiculous amount of money for the community.

Watt will likely have a lot of suitors, but with the chance to win now and the Cleveland Browns having the cap space, Watt could be a real target for 2021.