Six days after the trade that rocked the Cleveland Browns, Mary Kay Cabot is reporting that new quarterback Deshaun Watson is expected in Berea today for his physical.
Watson sat out the 2021 season and last played an NFL game on January 3, 2021.
The physical should be uneventful as he should be in excellent physical condition from the prolonged layoff.
More interesting to the masses will be his introductory press conference which Cabot indicates should occur on Friday.
Deshaun Watson will take his physical today with the #Browns, and if all goes as planned, he’ll likely conduct his introductory press conference on Friday.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 24, 2022
Watson Is One Of Several NFL Blockbuster Trades This Offseason
Despite the 2022 offseason being jam-packed with blockbuster trades, Watson’s trade and the scrutiny placed on both the Browns and the NFL are expected to occupy the headlines much longer than the others.
Tyreek Hill, Deshaun Watson, Davante Adams, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack & Yannick Ngakoue have all been traded in the last 16 days.
That's just trades. Not to mention all the free agent moves, cuts, and even Brady unretiring.
Wilds times in the NFL.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 23, 2022
Watson has 22 outstanding civil complaints against him that are yet to be resolved.
Many NFL media types are questioning the timing of the trade because of this.
They are also questioning the enormous amount of guaranteed money the Browns are paying Watson, notably not in the first year of the contract when a suspension could be handed down from the NFL.
Cloud Hanging Over This Trade
It is expected that there will be a cloud hanging over this trade and Watson’s arrival for months.
We have yet to see Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Browns, GM Andrew Berry, or Coach Kevin Stefanski so presumably they will be present and speak at the tentatively scheduled Friday press conference.
The Browns have done very little publicly to announce the trade with just prepared statements that circulated on the team’s website and social media on Sunday, two days after the trade happened.
Terms of the trade changed after the Browns announcement so that was just another interesting wrinkle in this entire transaction.
As it turns out, the compensation on the blockbuster trade has changed: Browns now are giving up six draft picks for Deshaun Watson; also instead of giving up a 2024 5th-round pick, it’s now a 2024 6th-round pick, per today’s wire. pic.twitter.com/Y98WFPmYeE
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2022
Conclusion
Watson’s first appearance as a Cleveland Browns will be a closely watched and highly scrutinized event.
It may be the most-watched introduction to a new player press event in NFL history.
NEXT: Browns Nation News And Notes (3/24/22)
