Watson’s Time in Cleveland Coming to an End: Browns Preparing to Move on From Struggling QB

Per Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic said during the latest edition of the “Scoop City” podcast that the Cleveland Browns “always planned on going for a quarterback in the upcoming draft” even before general manager Andrew Berry revealed on Monday that Deshaun Watson experienced a setback in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

Russini later strongly suggested that the Browns will take either Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders with the draft’s second overall pick.

“It’s not like they’re psyched about Deshaun Watson’s ability, leadership, play,” Russini said about the Browns during an appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” as shared by Ernesto Cova of Browns Nation. “They know this isn’t great.”

Watson played poorly across the season’s first seven weeks coming off the serious shoulder injury that ended his 2023 campaign before he tore his Achilles on Oct. 20. According to Pro Football Reference, he posted a league-worst 23.1 adjusted QBR and ranked 37th out of 39 players with a 79.0 passer rating for the campaign. Additionally, recent questions about his leadership and his desire to return to the Browns surfaced after it became clear he was recovering from his injury away from the team.

While the Browns seemingly can use some clever bookkeeping to part ways with Watson and what’s left of his albatross of a contract in March 2026, team insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand mentioned on Monday that Berry could trade the draft’s second pick to acquire additional assets. Russini poured cold water over that theory when she said Cleveland is “going quarterback” at choice No. 2.

The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick and are expected to grab either Ward or Sanders. For a piece produced Tuesday, ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicted that the Titans will select Ward and that the Browns will happily take Sanders after Cleveland signs a veteran to a team-friendly deal earlier in the offseason.

Either way, it appears that the Browns are preparing to essentially replace Watson this spring even if he remains on the roster through early next year.