Watson has only thrown for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and 465 rushing yards and three scores in a Browns uniform. What’s worse is he’s only played 19 games for the Browns, mainly due to injuries and an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy.
Broncos Eye Reunion with $94 Million Former Top-5 Pick in Bold Trade Proposal
Posted October 24, 2025
The Denver Broncos lead the NFL with 34 sacks through seven weeks, 8 more than the second-place Los Angeles Rams. And yet, the Broncos could be in a prime position to swing a trade for a luxury addition like Bradley Chubb.
Chubb, 29, is currently with the Miami Dolphins, who are 1-6 on the season.
However, he began his career with the Broncos, who selected him with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2018 draft.
Broncos Trade Proposal Lands Dolphins EDGE Bradley Chubb
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin noted that Chubb leads the Dolphins in sacks, with the two-time Pro Bowler notching 4.0 sacks through seven games. Benjamin also listed the Broncos as a “logical landing spot” for Chubb, should the Dolphins choose to move him before the deadline.
This Heavy Sports Broncos trade proposal would send Chubb back to Denver.
Broncos get:
- Bradley Chubb
Dolphins get:
- 2026 third-round pick
“Miami paid a big price to land Chubb via trade a few years ago,” Benjamin wrote on October 23. “But the Dolphins are seemingly on the verge of a total overhaul as their 2025 campaign goes down the drain. Despite going on 30, Chubb could still make a sizable impact as an edge rushing rental, perhaps in the mold of Von Miller for the 2021 Rams.”
The Dolphins traded a first-round pick, a future fourth-rounder, and running back Chase Edmonds to the Broncos for Chubb and a fifth-round selection in 2022.
Chubb is signed through 2027 on a three-year, $54.5 million contract, with over $94 million in career earnings. The cost, both in terms of cap space and draft capital, is but one potential roadblock to the Broncos swinging a trade for Chubb before the deadline.
Bradley Chubb Would Be Costly Luxury Addition for Broncos
Broncos head coach Sean Payton left the door open to explore trade options before the deadline. Moreover, the Broncos could be in the market for a pass rusher behind starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, and Chubb can move inside on occasion.
However, Chubb’s cap hit jumps from $12.3 million in 2025 to $31.2 million in 2026 and $31.5 million in 2027.
Per Over The Cap, the Broncos have $5 million in space entering Week 8.
That number jumps to $49.5 million in 2026 and $68.6 million in 2027. Those figures will change as the Broncos hand out extensions and move players around. Adding Chubb would create another financial hurdle to overcome for a luxury addition.
Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss Logs Full Practice
In addition to the finances of a trade for Chubb and Bonitto and Cooper’s presence, the Broncos are also high on backups Dondrea Tillman and Jonah Elliss. Both players have 1.0 sacks on the season, but Elliss returned to practice for the first time since Week 5 in Week 8.
The duo logged 5.0 sacks apiece in 2024.
Chubb missed last season with a torn ACL. He also racked up 11.0 sacks in 2023, and he had at least 7.5 sacks in three of his other five seasons.
He could be an upgrade over the Broncos’ current backup situation, but the Broncos have several reasons to at least hold out a little longer before making a trade. They will play two more games before the November 4 deadline, including hosting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
Browns Offensive Coordinator Highlights Deshaun Watson’s Positive Influence on Dillon Gabriel
eshaun Watson has not sniffed the field this year, and may never put on a Cleveland Browns uniform ever again. But he is having an impact on their offense and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, specifically.
Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees opened up about Watson’s impact on Gabriel’s development through his first NFL season, including his first NFL win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Watson, of course, reinjured his Achilles tendon in January, which prompted the Browns to overhaul their quarterbacks room. Watson has been pushing to make a return, yet Gabriel has played well since taking over for Joe Flacco after the 40-year-old was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Deshaun Watson’s Relationship With Dillon Gabriel Has ‘Really Been Positive’
Watson may not seem like an ideal mentor for a 24-year-old based on his catastrophic fall from grace. But according to Rees, Watson’s presence has been beneficial on the first-time NFL starter.
“He goes out of his way to help him talk through some coverages, talk through things like that,” Rees said.
Whatever you want to say about Watson’s controversial, injury-marred tenure with the Browns, Watson sure could play the quarterback position when healthy. He made the Pro Bowl three times as a member of the Houston Texans before they traded him to Cleveland for three first-round picks.
Plus, whatever Gabriel has gotten from Watson has worked. Gabriel has not yet thrown an interception in three starts, tossing three touchdowns while completing 72.2 percent of his 18 passes against the Dolphins in the rain Sunday.
Plus, whatever Rees is seeing has been backed up by coach Kevin Stefanski.
“He’s doing a great job at rehabbing, good job in meetings,” Stefanski said last week of Watson.
Deshaun Watson Is Unlikely To Play This Year — and May Never Suit Up For The Browns Again
This is the fourth of Watson’s fully guaranteed five-year, $235 million contract, which means fans who have been counting down the days until his contract expires are getting closer to freedom.
The Browns will owe Watson an appalling $80 million-plus in dead money if they release him after June 1, according to Over The Cap. Yet, if they also release him after June 1, that dead cap hit will be spread over his void years.
But with Gabriel on an entry-level contract of a third-round pick, plus Shedeur Sanders backing him up and Myles Garrett locked into a huge deal, the Browns could swing that deal to rid themselves of Watson’s stench — particularly since his contract is untradeable.
Or the Browns could decide simply to suck up Watson as the highest-paid backup quarterback in NFL history — even more so than Kirk Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons this year — then be rid of the Watson mistake rather than compounding it through the rest of the 2027 season.
