Browns' Deshaun Watson Trade Still Haunts Franchise, Costing Draft Picks and Future Hope
With the Cleveland Browns mired in a disaster of a season with yet another unsolved quarterback situation on their hands, it’s not hard to look back to how a March 2022 trade helped us get to this point.
We’re talking about the deal that landed Deshaun Watson, arguably the worst trade in the history of the league and one that has impeded the Browns from finding anything remotely resembling a long-term solution at the most important position in sports.
To this day, the ill-fated agreement still weighs heavily on the Browns. Let’s take a look:
Loss of draft capital
The Browns surrendered three first-round selections (2022, 2023, 2024), one third-rounder (2023) and two fourth-rounders (2022, 2024) for Watson and a 2024 sixth-rounder.
Sure, the 2022 Draft didn’t offer any real answers at the quarterback position save for “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy, selected by the Niners. Although Cleveland could have picked him at any moment of that draft, they were too busy drooling over their newly acquired passer to seriously consider adding another arm. Ironically, Bailey Zappe, taken in the fourth by the Patriots, is currently a Browns backup. Pro Bowlers available in the first round when Cleveland was due to pick (13th) include safety Kyle Hamilton, offensive linemen Tyler Smith and Tyler Lindebaum, and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II.
The 2023 Draft is more of the same. Cleveland’s original 12th overall pick turned eventually into star running back Jahmyr Gibbs for Detroit. Two Pro Bowl-wideouts were selected later in that same opening round: Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Zay Flowers. Meanwhile, the Browns settled for Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth.
Lastly, the 2024 Draft ended up with Cleveland’s original pick (23rd) being exercised by Jacksonville on Pro Bowl wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Even discarding the possibility of the Browns trading up in 2023 or 2024 for someone like C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, there was still a ton of talent left on the table. This loss of draft capital has led to multiple missed opportunities to improve elsewhere on a roster full of holes.
Loss of cap dollars
The first thing Cleveland did once legally-embattled Deshaun Watson arrived, was compound the mistake by handing him an NFL record $230 million fully guaranteed contract that still burdens the franchise to this day.
And, thanks to the money spent on Watson, the Browns haven’t been able to dive into the open market in search of a better option through free agency, such as Lamar Jackson in 2023 or Sam Darnold this past offseason. And no, we won’t even mention Baker Mayfield here. We’ll do that next.
Loss of a potential franchise quarterback
Trading for Watson also meant getting rid of Mayfield, by far the only quarterback drafted by the Browns since 1999 close to a .500 winning percentage (29-30). In fact, out of the 41 quarterbacks that have started at least one game for Cleveland since ‘99, only Mayfield and Tim Couch (22-37) won more than 10 games for the club.
Mayfield has been through some ups and downs in his career, sure, but he’s also playing the best football in his life right now for Tampa Bay, light years ahead of what Cleveland’s passers have been showing since he left.
Misguided hope of deliverance
This is probably the worst of all since it’s not as easily quantifiable: the undying expectation that -- somehow, someway -- Watson could still be something that he hasn’t been since 2020, an NFL starting quarterback.
But, after five years of mostly being suspended, deactivated or rehabbing for the last five years, can Watson still play at a high level?
Even owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to dismiss any idea of reedemption when stating "We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback; we didn't”, back in March. More recently, he confirmed: “A big trade we made didn’t work out, and you know, we’re all suffering from that, ” while defending head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Even if the Browns open the 21-day practice window for Watson soon, there are no assurances he’s ready to see the field, and by the time he could be, the season might be over anyways.
We get it, it’s hard to move one. But now the Browns are stuck with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel, fifth round-rookie Shedeur Sanders, career backup Zappe, a looming dead cap issue with Watson, and a long list of ifs, hadn’t they agreed to the worst trade in the history of the NFL.
NFL Analyst Believes Colts Blockbuster Trade Helps D-Line
In what can be considered the biggest trade of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, the Indianapolis Colts acquired two-time Pro Bowler Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The secondary was the one weakness for the Colts this season, as the team was allowing 244.8 passing yards per game, which is the seventh most in the league.
Gardner will be an immediate asset to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the rest of the defensive players.
With the addition of the former All-Pro to Indianapolis’ defense, one NFL analyst believes it can help another area for the Colts.
Sauce Gardner Helps Defensive Line
GettyIndianapolis Colts pass rusher Laiatu Latu #97
The defensive line was one of the biggest strengths for the Colts in the 2024 season and the biggest strength entering the new season.
Headlined by three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and promising second-year EDGE rusher Laiatu Latu, NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms believes the Colts’ acquisition of Sauce Gardner allows the D-linemen more time to get to opposing quarterbacks.
“Where [trading for Gardner] can maybe help, maybe Lou Anarumo can give him a little more confidence in blitzing,” Simms said on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned show.
“I think that’s where you at least look at it and go, ‘that can help the pass rush.’ It gives them a little more flexibility. It gives the defensive coordinator a little more confidence to go, ‘I trust my back end maybe to dabble in man-to-man just a few more snaps every game now’ to where I can send something kind of off the radar, blitz pressure.”
Gardner now finds himself on a team with one of the best records in the league and a defense that only allows 20.1 points per game, the seventh fewest in the league.
He will be a major piece for the defense in the future for Indy, as they used two first-round draft picks to acquire the player and will take his four-year, $120.4 million contract.
Weakness Turned Strength
GettyIndianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum
The Indianapolis Colts recognized that the secondary was a top priority during free agency, spending over $100 million on the position.
Indy signed safety Camryn Bynum to a four-year, $60 million contract and cornerback Charvarius Ward to a three-year, $54 million deal to improve the secondary.
Pairing Gardner with Ward will give the Colts one of the best cornerback duos in the league and now one of the better secondaries as well.
Ward is currently on injured reserve with a concussion, but should return to the team in a couple of weeks. Once back on the field, it could cause problems for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers.
The Colts made the final moves to polish their roster to be considered a serious contender to make a run in the playoffs.
