The thing is, Watson has only played in 12 games over his first two seasons in Cleveland, and he is coming off of shoulder surgery going into this year.
Ergo, Watson is a huge question mark under center for the Browns, and Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon does not envision a very successful season for the three-time Pro Bowler.
In a piece where Kenyon predicted his biggest bust for each NFL team, he chose Watson for Cleveland.
While Kenyon actually does not think that Watson’s tenure with the Browns depends on his 2024 performance given his fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, he does think that his reputation is on the line.
Watson certainly hasn’t looked great in limited action with Cleveland.
He served an 11-game suspension in his debut campaign with the Browns, and in the six games he played, he threw for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 58.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 79.1.
Then, in 2023, Watson was limited to six contests due to a shoulder injury that knocked him out for the year in Week 10. He posted very similar numbers to the preceding season, finishing with 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four picks while completing 61.4 percent ofh his throws and registering an 84.3 passer rating.
The silver lining is that Cleveland managed to go 5-1 in Watson’s starts last year and ended up making the playoffs with an 11-6 record.
If Watson can elevate his play even a bit this coming season, the Browns could be a very dangerous ballclub in the stacked AFC.
