Browns have unrealistic expectations for Deshaun Watson if latest ESPN report is true

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May 19, 2026 - 07:23

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Browns have unrealistic expectations for Deshaun Watson if latest ESPN report is true originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the Cleveland Browns made the decision to trade for Deshaun Watson in a deal with the Houston Texans, there was obviously hope that he was going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Unfortunately for the Browns, some off-the-field issues and injuries have certainly derailed his career a bit, though there are others who seem to believe that there's still some talent left in the tank.

According to the latest from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Browns are seemingly hoping that's the case.

Not that the Browns are looking for Watson to be a star once again, but they're hopeful he can get back to at least 70-80% of the player he was with the Texans, in what seems like many years now.

“Talking to people around the league, they believe that Watson could eventually earn this job because he’s a veteran presence and if he can get back to just 70 or 80 percent of what he was from those Houston days, maybe they can sort of salvage this trade — get one productive year out of him,” Fowler said, per BR.

Hoping that Watson becomes 70 or 80% of what he was in Houston isn't the wrong idea, but it doesn't seem very likely given what we've seen from him over the past few years.

We have to remember that those Texans teams were wildly different than what the Browns currently have as well.

It's probably best if Cleveland doesn't go in this direction and just hopes he figures things out differently, as expecting him to be what he was a few injuries ago and much younger typically doesn't end well for any player.