5 bold 2023 offseason predictions for the Cleveland Browns

1. Deshaun Watson restructures his contract, already

There was a huge stir made when the Browns added Deshaun Watson one year ago and it wasn’t just due to the stockpile of draft picks sent to Houston in order to acquire his services. It also wasn’t just the 11-game suspension for more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct.

Sure, all of that drew headlines but so did the massive contract Watson and the Browns agreed to. Once he was officially on the roster, Watson inked a new five-year $230 million deal which was fully guaranteed.

There were reports that followed saying other teams were furious over this move, including the Baltimore Ravens who have still been unable to sign Lamar Jackson long-term.

While Cleveland was trying to get over their heartbreak for their divisional rival’s suffering, they also structured Watson’s deal in a way that he didn’t lose much money in 2022. In doing this, they now have an insane cap hit of $54.9 million this season due to their quarterback.

This is the primary reason they’re $14.5 million in the red right now — although a massive rollover is coming which will put them in the positive again. Even with that rollover, there won’t be much money to make any moves unless they do something with some of their big contracts, starting with Watson.

In our final bold prediction, GM Andrew Berry will again prove the cap isn’t real as he frees up roughly $30 million by moving some of Watson’s guaranteed money down the line. Look for those who were fed up last season to get angry all over again as they continue to pay their signal caller while also finding more money to add talent to the roster.

3 positions the Cleveland Browns must draft in 2023

As the Cleveland Browns prepare for the 2023 draft, Andrew Berry should be doing extra film study on these three positions.