4 Bold Cleveland Browns predictions after Deshaun Watson trade
By John Suchan
With the trade for Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns have put themselves back in contention and these bold predictions will happen with him under center
Bold is a good word to describe the trade that Cleveland Browns just made for quarterback Deshaun Watson. The team is giving up first-round picks over the next three seasons and several other second and third picks starting next draft to the Houston Texans, Watson’s former team.
Cleveland is also giving Watson a $230 million five-year deal with all money being guaranteed. They’ve invested everything in one player they hope will get their franchise to a Super Bowl.
Sometimes you have to sell the farm to reach success in this league and that’s the case here with the Browns and Watson. The payoff has to be great, or this will go down as the biggest mistake in the recent history of the franchise.
With that being said, the upside, from a football standpoint is tremendous with Watson’s talent and success he can bring to a team. Let’s dig a little deeper and discuss some bold predictions as Watson begins his career in Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns bold prediction No. 1: Deshaun Watson will lead top-10 passing offense
The Browns, at least on paper looked to have one of the best wide receiver groups in the league when the season began a year ago. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. were supposed to lead this team to a Super Bowl. All of that idea blew up mid-season when Beckham demanded to leave and, in the end, he was released and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Cleveland finished the season with the sixth-worst passing game only gaining 3,619 yards with just 12 touchdowns through the air. They only had 177 passes that were completed for first downs on the season as well.
If you look at a comparison to the top teams in the league, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led the league in yards passing with 5,383 and they had 43 touchdowns on passes. They also had 273 first downs on passes. From the Kansas City Chiefs to the Arizona Cardinals, these teams were all in the top 10 in many passing categories.
Watson will propel the Browns back into the top 10 next season. He could be sidelined for the start of the season if the NFL decides to suspend him for his off-the-field issues, but newly acquired free agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett can be a suitable quarterback to bridge the gap if Watson can’t go. In his most recent starting role with the Indianapolis Colts in 2019, Brissett went 7-8 as a starter throwing for 2,942 yards and 18 touchdowns.
In Watson’s 2020 campaign with the Texans, he threw the ball for a league-leading 4,823 yards and 8.9 yards per attempt average. He completed a ridiculous 70 percent of his passes. In addition, he threw 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. On top of that, he led the league in passes completed over 20 yards with 69 of them.
The Browns now have a top-five quarterback in the league about to lead their team and their passing game just got a big boost.