NFL reporter believes Cleveland Browns will be players for Deshaun Watson
By Greg Newland
The Cleveland Browns have a lot of questions to answer before the 2022 season. Could Andrew Berry throw his hat in the ring for Deshaun Watson?
The Cleveland Browns will have a lot of tough decisions to make during the 2022 offseason, and one of those decisions will be at quarterback.
Will Andrew Berry decide to extend Baker Mayfield? Will he let him play out the fifth year of his rookie deal and look to extend in the 2023 offseason? Or, could they look to move on to Mayfield?
Albert Breer reported Wednesday that the latter may be in the cards for the Cleveland Browns and they may be a contender to land Deshaun Watson.
.@AlbertBreer on @BullandFox: "I'd expect #Browns to be a player. Are they going to be willing to go the distance? I don't know that, but I absolutely believe the Browns are going to be a player for Deshaun Watson if/when he becomes available. Let's call this an educated guess."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) December 22, 2021
"“Now, are they going to be willing to go the distance? I don’t know that, but I absolutely believe the Browns are going to be a player for Deshaun Watson if he becomes available. Again, a lot of this is going to come down to, what’s happening legally, getting signoff from ownership, of course, that’s an important piece of it,” Albert Breer said on Bull and Fox."
The asking price for Watson will likely be high, but if they were willing to take Mayfield on a one-year rental, it could work. Berry won’t overpay, and that will be the biggest thing.
How intense is the market for Watson who may not necessarily face criminal charges (remains to be seen), but there will be some backlash from fans due to the moral questions he brings with him.
Watson is under contract through 2025 and has a cap hit of over $40 million in 2022. Not only would the Browns need to give up two first-round picks (or more), they would also need Watson willing to restructure to even have a chance at keeping guys like Denzel Ward and Jadeveon Clowney. A move to get Watson would all but end the possibility of keeping David Njoku.
Anything is possible, and a guy like Watson makes the Cleveland Browns instant contenders for a 2022 Super Bowl, but it is still likely a long shot.
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If a team that is more desperate than the Browns get involved, Berry won’t be willing to overpay.