The Cleveland Browns drew plenty of criticism and mockery when they traded for Deshaun Watson.
It happened right in the midst of his legal turmoil, and people seemed to think he was guilty of all charges.
So, the fact that the Browns gave up that many assets and then doubled down by signing him to a fully guaranteed contract, even though he would go nearly two years without playing professional football, was highly questionable.
That’s why Watson had such a huge target on his back entering the season.
And despite all the rave reports, the truth is we only saw some glimpses of his talent; he wasn’t the same QB he used to be.
With that in mind, it’s not much of a surprise to see that The Athletic’s QB Tier list has him as a former star, stating that his days as a quality QB are finished.
Needless to say, that take drew some mixed reactions on social media, with some agreeing with the take and others not.
Deshaun Watson ended his season completing 14 straight passes and leading the Browns to a 33-31 victory over the #1 seed Baltimore Ravens in their own house by the way.
— Nick Karns (@karnsies817) December 14, 2023
sad news
— Zubaida (@UmmeRehman_1977) December 14, 2023
5-1 and highest rated 4th quarter QB until injury. Cry. Browns are up so bad and y'all hate it.
— Ryan Gellatly (@RyanGellatly) December 14, 2023
Not gonna lie, I don’t disagree with this. I need to see him perform at a high level for longer than a few games I’m convinced he his back to his old self.
— FLACCO2COOPERSZN (@tfandan19) December 14, 2023
Watson’s season was a roller coaster.
He alternated head-scratching throws and poor decisions with impressive scrambles and beautiful completions.
He was coming off his best game of the season before his season-ending injury, but his erratic play had also cost his team a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s not easy to come back after such a long layoff, and being in and out of the field with injuries won’t do much to help his case.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
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