Deshaun Watson has not exactly gotten off to a good start with the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns initially acquired Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then proceeded to hand him a massive $230 million contract—fully guaranteed.

Since then, Watson has played in just 12 games. He served an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations during his debut campaign in Cleveland, and last season, he appeared in just six contests before bowing out due to a shoulder injury.

Watson is on the mend and is expected to be ready for Week 1, but the Browns added some insurance this offseason, signing Jameis Winston for the backup quarterback role.

While Winston could be perceived as a threat, Watson loves having him around and has been impressed by Cleveland’s quarterback room in general.

“There’s no type of egos in there,” Watson said on his “QB Unplugged podcast. “We all want to see each other eat and go to the top. That’s the key.”

The Browns also added Tyler Huntley, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be returning.

Last year, Joe Flacco took over for the injured Watson and ultimately led the Browns to the playoffs.

This is a Make or Break Season for Deshaun Watson

Watson absolutely has to come through for Cleveland in 2024. If he doesn’t do it this coming season, his future will be in tremendous doubt.

There was a time when the 28-year-old was one of the best quarterbacks in football. Back in 2020, he led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards to go along with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Since then, however, Watson has been a non-factor.

He sat out all of 2021 due to a dispute with the Texans’ front office, and the allegations were also hanging over his head at the time. He was then dealt to the Browns, where he has barely played.

If Watson can somehow rediscover his form from his Houston days, Cleveland will be in great shape. After all, it won 11 games in spite of all of his issues last season.

The question is, does Watson still have that in him?

Even when he was on the field in 2023, Watson wasn’t too impressive, throwing for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 84.3.

We’ll see if Deshaun Watson can dig himself out of the doldrums come September.

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