The Cleveland Browns took a swing for the fences in 2022, cutting ties with former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and sending a massive package of draft picks to the Houston Texans to land Deshaun Watson.
Close to three years later, the move has fizzled as Watson dealt with controversy and a string of injuries. His play on the field also took a sharp decline from his days with the Texans.
The Athletic's Mike Jones wrote that the "huge swing-and-miss" has been a black eye for the franchise and has some NFL insiders worried about the job security of general manager Andrew Berry.
While Jones believes Berry may have more rope, his future is far from certain and head coach Kevin Stefanski faces an even more dire outlook.
"Hired in 2020, Berry will likely receive more time," Jones wrote. "For now, the bulk of the pressure rides on coach Kevin Stefanski, who thus far has struggled to help Watson find comfort in his system and play like the franchise quarterback the Browns are paying him to be."
Watson suffered a season-ending torn Achilles, but is expected to return as the team's starter in 2025 as the Browns are financially committed to the former Pro Bowler, Jones wrote. That could increase the likelihood of organizational changes around Watson, he added.
"His injuries (he has played in 13 total games the last two seasons) and those along the offensive line haven’t made things easy," Jones wrote. "But the Browns still owe Watson another $92 million over the next two years, so team officials could look elsewhere for remedies."
The Browns also face a potential decision on their other quarterback, veteran Jameis Winston, who took over starting duties after Watson's injury. Winston's one-year contract will expire after this season and the team could bring him back to keep the starting job until Winston returns.
But Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports warned that the Browns shouldn't rush the decision.
“Why be in a rush right now?” Kinkhabwala said. “This is not one of those young guys you want to lock up before he suddenly gets more expensive. Let’s see how the rest of the season goes."
