Browns meeting with Deshaun Watson could have ripple effect

The Cleveland Browns are meeting with Deshaun Watson on Tuesday and a pending move could cause dissension among the fan base and maybe in the locker room

Much can change in a 24-hour period and Cleveland Browns fans are already seeing this when it comes to the Deshaun Watson watch of 2022. On Monday, reports came out that Watson wasn’t interested in Cleveland despite their desire to add him to the roster. But that may have changed already.

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the move could be back in play as the Browns are set to meet with Watson in Houston on Tuesday.

On the surface, this looks like a simple case of an NFL team looking to upgrade. Cleveland does, after all, have a great roster but in 2021, they were held back by the play of Baker Mayfield.

To be fair to the former No. 1 overall pick, Mayfield did struggle with injuries all season but his issues were going well beyond that as it appeared he felt pressure when it wasn’t there and failed to see open receivers on several occasions.

However, there’s much more to it than the on-field upgrade. One major concern is how Watson would be received in Cleveland following 22 allegations of sexual misconduct.

While that could cause dissension among fans who would be unhappy with such a move, there’s another problem that already could be boiling under the surface.

How will Baker Mayfield handle Deshaun Watson flirtation?

It’s no secret that Baker Mayfield is an emotional player. He holds nothing back and he often allows criticism to light a fire under him. But he’s also been known as one to hold grudges.

We saw this with a former collegiate coach as he and Kliff Kingsbury didn’t get along for years after Mayfield felt lied to by Kingsbury (although they’re reportedly fine now but it took quite a while). There was also the Hue Jackson drama that played out after his first NFL head coach was fired.

If Mayfield felt slighted by Kingsbury going with Patrick Mahomes or Jackson going back to the Bengals, there’s no way at all he’s going to be fine with the Cleveland brass heading to Houston to meet with Deshaun Watson just weeks after committing to Mayfield at the NFL Scouting Combine.

That’s one of the many things that general manager Andrew Berry is surely contemplating now. By making this visit, he and the team are going to have to either work overtime for damage control with Mayfield, or continue to look for a change.

The feelings on Watson and what he was accused of are definitely worth discussion and anyone who has a string objection to him joining their favorite team has a legit case. However, the other discussion for the Browns is how they go forward if this move doesn’t pan out.

Because it won’t be as simple as asking Mayfield to pretend it didn’t happen.