Deshaun Watson, once upon a time, was viewed as a top-five quarterback. He was so good that his name was thrown up with Patrick Mahomes when discussing the best quarterbacks in the league. Now, Watson is seen very differently.
Watson, as a rookie, was sensational. In the seven games as a starter, he threw for 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and Russell Wilson at the height of their game.
Watson did not throw for fewer than three touchdowns in his final four starts. Unfortunately, he had his rookie season cut short due to an ACL injury. Despite that, the potential was evident.
Watson’s run from 2018 to 2020 was special. He was able to remain healthy during those years, and threw for 85 touchdowns and averaged around 4,000 yards per game. His completion percentage hovered at 67% and higher, and his lowest passer rating in those years was 98.0, which is still fantastic.
In addition to the incredible numbers, Watson had a knack for making incredible plays when he was dead to rights. One of them was in the Wild Card game against Buffalo on a third down when he shook off two pass rushers and threw a pas that set up the game-winning kick. Another one was when he got kicked in the face by a defender against the Oakland Raiders and threw a touchdown on the same play.
Jon Gruden called Watson Michael Jordan on the field. Lamar Jackson and he took turns being universally regarded as the second or third-best quarterback in the league behind Mahomes.
Then came the off-field issues.
In the 2021 offseason, more than two dozen women claimed that Watson had portrayed sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. As a result, he was suspended for 11 games in 2022. The way he was perceived was completely different.
In that same offseason, Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns for three first-round picks, a third, and a fourth-round pick. He was also given a five-year $230 million contract. That, in hindsight, was a huge mistake by the Browns.
In the six games Watson played in 2022, he threw for seven touchdowns and five interceptions with 1,102 yards. He had a passing score of 79.1. He threw for less than 200 yards a game and looked like he had a cement block in his shoes.
Maybe Watson was rusty. He did kick off the 2021 season and was suspended for most of 2022. He’ll be back to form in 2023, right? Not exactly, as he played only six games again due to injury and threw for seven touchdowns, four interceptions, 1,115 yards, and a rating of 84.1.
In 2024, the poor play continued with five touchdowns, three interceptions, 1,148 yards, and a 79.0 rating. Once again, Watson played only seven games due to an Achilles injury. In his time in Cleveland, he played just 19 games in three seasons, with an average passer rating of 80.7. His completion percentage was consistently in the high 50s and low 60s.
Not only did Watson underperform for his lofty contract, but his play would have underperformed for the vet minimum. The metrics say that he has been the worst starting quarterback in the last three years.
The Browns’ only successful season was with Flacco’s Cinderella run in that span. Otherwise, they were in the depths of the AFC North. Man, they sure could have used a quarterback like Baker Mayfield.
This has never been seen before. A quarterback who was viewed as a top-three quarterback easily, Watson is no doubt one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. He is now downright awful. This happened in a span of just a few years and didn’t happen because of age, and his play started declining even before the injuries.
The off-field issues are certainly a catalyst for Watson’s poor play. When one’s character is being questioned, it’s hard not to mentally move on as a player and just focus on the game. He is unlikely to start for Cleveland again.
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