3 Cleveland Browns who benefit most from Deshaun Watson addition

With the addition of Deshaun Watson, these three Cleveland Browns will benefit the most and really see an uptick in production, which is a good thing for this team. 

The Cleveland Browns altered the franchise trajectory in a major way when they were able to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. The addition of Watson puts the Browns in legitimate Super Bowl contention, especially with some free agent moves likely on the way.

Last season the Browns finished 8-9 and third in the AFC North and that was with bottom-five quarterback play from Baker Mayfield. If Watson was here a year ago, then maybe the Browns would have won upwards of five more games.

We will never know if that is factual, but it’s interesting to speculate about. In the fourth quarter, Mayfield has thrown 23 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, while completing 57.3 percent of his passes in his career. Watson has thrown for 39 fourth-quarter touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes.

Winning close games will be crucial for the upcoming season as the AFC is absolutely loaded with key trades and free-agent signings. In the AFC North alone are Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. In the AFC West, you have Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert, and Derek Carr – what a gauntlet. And then you have Josh Allen and don’t forget about Derrick Henry. Watson puts the Browns in a lot of positions to win late in games.

The franchise has been searching for a quarterback for 23 years and in the 23rd year, they finally got their guy who can potentially bring the Lombardi Trophy to the city of Cleveland.

This addition instantly benefits the offense, but it also benefits the defense greatly as they will see fewer three-and-outs, which allows them to rest up even more. The defense is what kept the Browns in a lot of games last season, but oftentimes it was the offense that let them down. In 2022 and beyond, that script can flip with Watson.