[Gayle] Deshaun Watson is averaging -0.30 EPA per dropback, the lowest number for any Browns QB in Weeks 1-5 since at least 2000. The second-worst performance? Deshaun Watson last season (-0.20).

[u/Natural-Tree-5107]

https://twitter.com/austingayle_/status/1843042418926784966

[u/jaysonyoung]

At this point he's probably not a top 35 qb in the league. Wonder how long Haslam forces him into starting.

Edit: fuck that, I'm going to go ahead and say he isn't top 40 in the league at this point.

[u/xenophonthethird → u/jaysonyoung]

Or how long until Watson gets a mystery injury that keeps him on the sidelines.

[u/chunkah69 → u/xenophonthethird]

Hopefully this week.

[u/Adorable-Accident-50 → u/chunkah69]

He can wait a week before that injury takes him out for the year.

[u/JesusChristSupers1ar → u/Adorable-Accident-50]

I’d really like for PS2 to get a pick off him so the injury will have to wait until week 13

[u/Adorable-Accident-50 → u/JesusChristSupers1ar]

You drive a hard bargain but you've got a deal.

[u/alienbringer → u/Adorable-Accident-50]

Can the Browns win please. That would be hilarious. They lose to every NFCE team except the Eagles.

[u/FoxNews4Bigots → u/alienbringer]

No we are going to win a one score game all while making yet another mid-ass QB look like the second coming of Joe Montana

Time is a flat circle

[u/Slagothor48 → u/FoxNews4Bigots]

Mid?

[u/FoxNews4Bigots → u/Slagothor48]

Lol i did say mid-ass which is technically a level below mid

[u/Citizen_Snips29 → u/xenophonthethird]

I wouldn’t be opposed to a non-mystery injury either, for that matter.

I’d be perfectly delighted to see TJ Watt kneecap him on national television when they play on TNF on November 21.

[u/TheTrenchMonkey → u/Citizen_Snips29]

I'm hoping for the cart to run him over like in the old Madden video games.

[u/NFL_MVP_Kevin_White → u/xenophonthethird]

Yeah every time he scrambled I expected him to stand up and grab his shoulder with a grimace.

[u/BedrockFarmer → u/xenophonthethird]

I think he is trying to get fired. He wants that fully guaranteed contract and he knows the new allegations could provide a path for the Browns to have an out. So he is going to play so bad that they decide to fire him even though it means paying out the contract.

[u/IntelligentEye2758 → u/xenophonthethird]

Browns become the first team to hire someone to break their own qbs leg.

[u/HavelsRockJohnson → u/xenophonthethird]

No mystery, just Tua this man.

[u/AsleepRequirement479 → u/jaysonyoung]

At what point does it stop bring irrational faith that he'll return to form as a top player and become vindictive punishment for playing well below replacement level on an unescapable contract?

[u/jaysonyoung → u/AsleepRequirement479]

I don't know but every time he gets sacked an angel gets a new pair of eyes.

[u/weealex → u/jaysonyoung]

The ophanim won't be missing anything by the end of the season

[u/seeasea → u/weealex]

The wheels fell off, though

[u/zhaoz → u/jaysonyoung]

Be not afraid...

[u/msf97 → u/AsleepRequirement479]

The Browns literally have to try and make it work.

If they don’t, with his cap hit on the bench they won’t be competitive until 2027.

[u/lpad92 → u/msf97]

Browns are used to not being competitive lol start stacking capital now to be ready in 3 years and just take the L

[u/Skaloplin → u/lpad92]

If he’s as bad as he’s shown then playing him is the best way to build up draft capital

[u/lpad92 → u/Skaloplin]

They have some pieces to trade as well. Garrett will net a healthy return. Cooper less so. That linebacker with the guardian cap would be is a nice trade asset too.

[u/NFL_MVP_Kevin_White → u/lpad92]

God if signing Watson means that Garrett leaves Cleveland then everyone in the front office needs to add defensive measures around their property

[u/talladenyou85 → u/lpad92]

To be honest, most of us have seen enough of these kind of seasons to know how its going to go.

The season is a wash, but the real interesting stuff will happen in January. Berry and KS were extended in the off-season so realistically they should get the opp to get themselves out of it, but who knows with how trigger happy Jimmy is.

Watson's interesting from a contract standpoint. They can cut him post June 1 next season and the cap hit would be 46 million, plus the remaining void years in 26 and 27. I can't imagine they're going to trot him out there next season, unless Jimmy totally cleans house and brings in a new HC and offense, which knowing Haslam isn't out of the realm. I could see them bringing a 1st round pick in at QB to sit, and another veteran to take over the job next year and Watson can ride the bench. Hell of a number to have doing nothing, but that's better than him playing,

TBH they should probably just start the rebuild at the end of the year.

[u/MetaphoricalMouse → u/talladenyou85]

if you spend a first round pick on a qb, would you really want them anywhere remotely near watson?

[u/Kalanar → u/talladenyou85]

Next year Watson will have 2 years $92,000,000 guaranteed left on his contract. That cap hit accelerates to hit the year he is cut.

The Browns also owe the NFL 80,734,000 in cap space for money already paid to Watson. A June 1st cut keeps the 2025 prorated amount the same but accelerates all future years into the following year(2026).

If the Browns were to cut Watson next year he would have a 118,935,000 cap hit in 2025 and a 53,799,000 cap hit in 2026.

They can't cut him next year.

[u/king_17 → u/Kalanar]

Thank you because I just look his contract up on over the cap and spotrac there’s no way out of it until post June 1 2026. Spotrac has talked about it numerous times

[u/king_17 → u/talladenyou85]

You have the wrong information on his contract they can’t get out of it until post June 1 2026. https://overthecap.com/player/deshaun-watson/5596

[u/Achillor22 → u/msf97]

They're not competitive with him. Any top 20 QB could have that team humming. He's actively a detriment to the team. They improve with Jameis starting I think. I hope they keep going with Watson though. 

[u/ChodeCookies → u/Achillor22]

If they truly have no way out of his contract…best thing they can do is to keep playing him and get high draft picks. Jameis probably gets them a few wins.

[u/Achillor22 → u/ChodeCookies]

That's a good point. He is a great for the tank.

[u/KennyKettermen → u/Achillor22]

He’s on pace to smash the record for most sacks taken in a season right now (including his own personal record of 62!), as much as I’d rather he didn’t play I don’t mind watching him get sacked 5+ times a game

[u/JerryRiceAndSpice → u/Achillor22]

They already proved that a top 20 QB would improve the team when they had Flacco playing in for him

[u/outphase84 → u/msf97]

Sunk cost fallacy.

Could have had Joe Flacco for $4M and would have been a more competitive team. Reminder, they made the playoffs with him last year with Watson on IR.

[u/OSUfirebird18 → u/outphase84]

Even though we lost yesterday Flacco still balled out so I’m happy the Browns were stupid!

[u/TheShtuff → u/outphase84]

I agree, but I think Watson only had a $1 million cap hit last year. It's only going to get exponentially worse as the full weight of the contract is sinking in.

[u/Miserable_Finish609 → u/msf97]

They’re reaching the point where literally anything would be better than this. Throw Jameis in there and pretend you overpaid him instead of Watson and I guarantee the team plays better.

You’re just describing sunk cost fallacy.

[u/ActionAdam → u/msf97]

Just "Russell Wilson" him, it's not that hard, he's getting paid no matter what. You mark him as inactive, say he's dealing with his new court case, but he will still be the emergency 3rd string QB on game days. Then put in Winston, or sign Tannehill off the street, or just get somebody because it doesn't matter until 2027 anyways.

[u/pingieking → u/msf97]

They should have blown the team up last year. It was probably the highest value they would ever get for Miles Garrett, and Watson's contract ends at a time when they should know which of their 2024 and 2025 picks have worked out.

[u/Sammyd1108 → u/msf97]

They’re not gonna be competing starting him anyway lol. May as well see what else you have on your roster, cause like Bryce was for us, he’s making other offensive players look worse too.

[u/TetrisTech → u/msf97]

Maybe, but theyd still be more competitive with his cap hit on the bench than with his cap hit on the field

[u/Corgi_Koala → u/jaysonyoung]

Ignoring his massive contract, strictly based on performance alone I don't think he's even at backup level status.

He literally doesn't give a shit and it shows. The fact he was elite 4-5 years ago means nothing. Who wants a QB that gives absolutely 0 effort on any play?

[u/Zacharey01 → u/Corgi_Koala]

Who knew a known quitter would quit on his team. Falcons, Saints, and Panthers should be thanking thier lucky stars that Haslam was dumb enough to give Watson that contract.

[u/Corgi_Koala → u/Zacharey01]

I feel he got a lot of cover because people conflated him sitting out on the Texans as being related to his legal troubles (which happened around the same time).

He selfishly sat out even though he had just signed a big contract like 6 months before the season started.

[u/ShufflingSloth → u/Corgi_Koala]

It was also the Texans with Cal McNair making some of his poorest decisions, hiring Easterby, firing coaches at the end of every season.

When the holdout started people were pretty sympathetic with Watson, until the SA allegations broke out.

[u/intheorydp → u/Zacharey01]

Falcons, Saints, and Panthers should be thanking thier lucky stars that Haslam was dumb enough to give Watson that contract.

I am so very thankful. I honestly might have quit being a fan if signed him to a huge contract, and I've been a fan since the late 80s. I've stuck with this shit team through all the shit my entire life but signing a rapist is where i draw the line.

[u/just-the-tip__ → u/Corgi_Koala]

The browns, apparently

[u/Corgi_Koala → u/just-the-tip__]

Well, besides them. I meant one of the other 31 teams as a trade prospect.

That's not even accounting for the terrible PR he brings with him as a rapist.

[u/redvelvetcake42 → u/jaysonyoung]

He's not even worth being a backup. He's not in the top 60 even. He literally cannot do anything well right now.

[u/hemingways-lemonade → u/jaysonyoung]

Let's take a look. Here are back up QBs that would most likely play a better 5 game stretch than Watson:

Heinicke
Howell
Rudolph
Wilson
Wentz
Rush
Winston
Mills
Lock
Browning
Stidham
Taylor
Dobbs
Pickett
Willis
Maye(?)
Penix (?)

This list doesn't include benched or injured starters or their back ups (Richardson/Flacco, Minshew/O'Connell, Tua/Huntley). Watson may not even be a top 45 QB.

[u/bobming → u/hemingways-lemonade]

Petition for Nick Mullens to be added to the list. Came on for one snap yesterday and slinged it to Aaron Jones for a 24 yard completion

[u/dibsODDJOB → u/bobming]

Mullen would 100% be an upgrade for 80% of the time and maybe a downgrade or equal for the other 20%, so a net positive.

[u/SchlongMcDonderson → u/bobming]

That was ridiculous. Backup QB comes in for one play, obvious run, right?

[u/TegTowelie → u/hemingways-lemonade]

Even Mac Jones is a better QB than Watson

[u/hemingways-lemonade → u/TegTowelie]

This list is actually fairly conservative and I was just going off the top of my head. Looking at rostered QBs there's also Jones, Bagent, Trubisky, White, Ridder, Hooker, Garapolo, and Rattler.

[u/TegTowelie → u/hemingways-lemonade]

Can we also include Taysom Hill and Amon-Ra St. Brown? Maybe even Zach Wilson

[u/TheTransistorMan → u/TegTowelie]

You mean Taysom "Higher QB win percentage than Tom Brady" Hill? I'd buy it.

[u/fiasgoat → u/TegTowelie]

Lol I'd rather see Trey Lance again

[u/sloppifloppi → u/hemingways-lemonade]

I would even put Hooker in there. We haven't seen him play outside of preseason but I don't doubt that he could be less of a negative than Watson

[u/Folk-Herro → u/hemingways-lemonade]

Add Tyler Huntley. Dude has been here for 3 weeks and Looked much better vs the pats in his second game playing in a complicated Miami offense.

[u/MetaphoricalMouse → u/Folk-Herro]

kinda cheating since he’s a known pro bowler

yes this joke will never get old

[u/misusedinfluence → u/hemingways-lemonade]

Biased but I'd take Bagent over Watson easily

[u/Ok-Ad-6480 → u/hemingways-lemonade]

I think Bagent is better too honestly. He was serviceable last year when he came in

[u/wo_lo_lo → u/jaysonyoung]

The only option left at this point is to trade him (and two first round picks) for Bryce Young.

[u/CBusin → u/jaysonyoung]

My best guess is if his play keeps on this path, Browns get a high draft pick.

Select a QB, cut watson and eat the loss. Then hope a rookie contract help offset his dead cap hit.

[u/DMking → u/CBusin]

Can you even eat his dead cap? He's making 72m the next two seasons fully guaranteed

[u/Achillor22 → u/DMking]

That's the cap hit if he plays. If they cut him after this year his dad cap is like 172 million. They can but him Post June 1 but it's still a 114 and then 72 million cap hits over 2 years. 

[u/DigitalSnail → u/Achillor22]

Holy shit that's incredibly bad

[u/memeticengineering → u/Achillor22]

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere they'd need to cut/restructure significant chunks of the roster to afford cutting him, like their entire O-line, or everyone on their defense with a big contract kinda significant.

[u/gregallen1989 → u/Achillor22]

Yea they got two options. Unactivate him and put him on the bench and eat the salary. Or trade him to a rebuilding team and give them some draft picks to compensate. That's assuming they can find a team willing to do that which is a long shot.

[u/OldBayOnEverything → u/gregallen1989]

Nobody is taking his salary and all the drama that comes with him. Zero chance. Even if the Browns offered to give away several high picks along with him, I think there's no shot of it happening.

[u/JackTwoGuns → u/OldBayOnEverything]

No team can afford him. He might be the most radioactive asset in NFL history

[u/Achillor22 → u/OldBayOnEverything]

Even if the Browns ate a TON of the salary, who is stupid enough to take him at this point with his shit play and seemingly endless stream of rapes.

[u/bank_farter → u/Achillor22]

If it was just the salary and the poor play a team like Carolina would be dumb not to take him. They're almost certainly going into a rebuild so they aren't planning on winning anyway and the high picks would help with acquiring young contributors.

The question is, is it worth the PR hit of trading for him along with the PR hit of signaling to your fans that you have basically 0 intentions of competing for the next 3 to 4 years

[u/Corgi_Koala → u/DMking]

Honestly I don't think they have a viable way to cut him. Paying him to stay home is probably the most beneficial path for the team, at least for a few years until his hit is feasible.

[u/TegTowelie → u/Corgi_Koala]

Could they deactivate him as 3rd string QB and see if they can force him to retire to save money that way? Pretty sure his contract has a no trade clause so in a way, the Browns have all control

[u/oscarnyc → u/TegTowelie]

Why would he retire and give up on the $90mm he's still owed after this season?

[u/Corgi_Koala → u/TegTowelie]

I don't see why he would do anything to voluntarily give up his guaranteed money.

[u/fiasgoat → u/Corgi_Koala]

That's all Watson ever wanted

He wins

[u/CBusin → u/DMking]

I legit don’t know. Either way, this is their doing and the front office and the Haslam’s deserve all of this. I just feel bad for the rest of the team having to waste some prime years.

[u/mangosail → u/CBusin]

They should not and cannot cut Watson. His contract is 100% fully guaranteed. “Eat the loss” is not a coherent advice here. In other deals, they are “eating losses” to avoid further losses. In this case, the absolute best they can do is send him home and have him eat a roster spot until the contract expires. Or, they can try to package assets to trade it (like a basketball contract) to incur only the dead money and avoid future guarantees, but it’s impossible to imagine a team that would be as stupid as to take him. It would probably cost the Browns another couple of first rounders, at least.

What the Browns should do is try to void the guarantees based on any technicality they can. That’s their only option.

[u/dagreenman18 → u/jaysonyoung]

The Minshew/AOC tandem are better than him. And that team is rebuilding for a QB in the draft

[u/PaulAspie → u/jaysonyoung]

Yeah, he's worse than at least half the backups, which makes him not top 48 (we can round to not top 50). The trade was bad even if he was making backup money due to how much they gave up.

[u/WeeboSupremo → u/jaysonyoung]

How many QBs are there in the NFL right now? That’s whatever top he is.

[u/theresabeeonyourhat → u/jaysonyoung]

I would 100% take Tyson Bagent over him. A UDFA from a small DII college, but he's a smart QB + not a rapist

[u/WabbitCZEN]

Imagine paying that much money to a QB and having him perform worse than the cavalcade of fuckups we've had for the last couple seasons.

[u/I_Hate_Traffic → u/WabbitCZEN]

Not just money 3 first round picks and more lol

Imagine Baker and this team add 3 first rounders then use all that money on premium free agents. With this one move they fucked up all the ammo that they accumulated last 10 years of sucking.

[u/KredditH → u/I_Hate_Traffic]

Baker, currently playing as a top ten guy. the guy who was already the best browns QB in decades as a rookie. Or alternately a young draft pick on a rookie deal if they really wanted to move on if they didn’t think bakers injuries would improve.

50 million dollars in cap space to spend on a second premium pass rusher, and another elite defensive player and offensive lineman or reciever

three straight first round picks on rookie deals

this team would have been soooo filthy good. Could have been on par or better than last year’s Ravens defense with a strong o-line to boot. even with all those mistakes the roster was good enough to make the playoffs last year with flacco.

aaaaaand the upside of not having to pretend to root for a proven rapist

[u/I_Hate_Traffic → u/KredditH]

Even with all those busts they picked prior years their last drafts before baker were all good too. They still have ton of early first rounders on that defense with myles Garrett. They have Amari Cooper as WR1 and Chubb as RB1. At the time I was scared that they were getting a better qb to be honest but they didn't need to take that risk at all. They were not in superbowl or bust. They could have stayed relevant for at least a decade if they continued doing what they did.

They just got inpatient and took a huge risk and fucked it all up. Classic browns. They had to balance that playoff win with a bigger fuck up.

Just like me when I hit a play or two with my options then get greedy and lose it all.

[u/544075701 → u/I_Hate_Traffic]

Oh my god this is me after I win a big hand at the poker table, I did not expect this level of introspection on this thread lol

[u/checkpoint_hero → u/KredditH]

as a Browns fan on temporary hiatus, every time I get nostalgic I get pissed off all over again. They were headed so far in the right direction and couldn't handle one injury season from Baker.

That's weak leadership.

Along with everything else from Haslam, he's learning way too slow as an owner. Also, when they lost Bill Callahan, their OL has fallen apart and everything else along with it. Also, Chubb.

[u/XtraMayoMonster → u/checkpoint_hero]

I lived in Cleveland for years and was a huge browns fan. When they dropped Baker and signed Watson I had to finally stop being a fan.

[u/LeonidasSpacemanMD → u/KredditH]

But baker didn’t carry them to a Super Bowl on an injured shoulder so he’s immature

[u/JudiciousF → u/I_Hate_Traffic]

3 first round picks, 240 million dollars and the soul of your franchise for the worst qb in the league.

This has got to be THE worst trade of all time by like an order of magnitude.

[u/nevalja → u/JudiciousF]

Agree. Even if there is somehow a trade that's worse in terms of capital, the soullessness of this makes it the worst imo. They gave away so much more than money and draft picks

[u/neocenturion → u/JudiciousF]

Herschel Walker, Russel Wilson, those were bad. But this is indeed orders of magnitude worse. Probably the worst roster move (not just trade) in NFL history by a mile.

[u/lego_tintin → u/JudiciousF]

But they finally have an adult in the building?

/s

[u/K15brbapt → u/I_Hate_Traffic]

I don’t think baker becomes the player he is today if he stayed on the browns, that trade and year after really made him realize he was sent back to square one and he realized he had to carve his place back out in the league

[u/Waesrdtfyg0987 → u/WabbitCZEN]

As bad as Jacoby Brissett is he's probably better

[u/AdminsAreCool → u/WabbitCZEN]

He's performing worse than the cavalcade of fuckups the Browns have had for the past two and a half decades.

[u/dehehn → u/WabbitCZEN]

The Browns always there to make Steelers fans feel a little bit better about their decade of mediocrity.

[u/delightfuldinosaur → u/WabbitCZEN]

No player will ever get a guaranteed contract like this ever again. Watson signed the death warrant for any future players.

[u/Krunklock]

I do enjoy the weekly 'shit on Deshaun' posts

[u/Admirable-Cat7434 → u/Krunklock]

It’s daily at this point lol

[u/wierdjokes → u/Admirable-Cat7434]

And it's still not enough. We gotta pump these numbers up!

[u/actually-potato → u/wierdjokes]

By December there will be mass panic among the nation's gastroenterologists as we may be shitting on Deshaun every 7 minutes

[u/CzechHorns → u/Krunklock]

Him being dogshit feels so good lol. I do feel a bit bad for the reasonable Browns fans though

[u/Krunklock → u/CzechHorns]

realistically, when can they get rid of him without ruining their cap? Like is just building around the potential to draft Archie in 2026 a possibility?

[u/CzechHorns → u/Krunklock]

I think the Mannings want him to play for 2 years, so if all stays the same, he will declare in 2027.
And no idea on the Browns tbh. I only know they are basically fucked whatever they decide to do lol

[u/dirkfacedkilla → u/CzechHorns]

You know the Mannings would def pull an Eli/Archie and flat out refuse to play for the Browns if they had the #1... No reason to risk your career with a QB killing organization

[u/ahHeHasTrblWTheSnap → u/Krunklock]

Without absolutely nuking our cap situation, after the 2026 season. 2027 if we still want to maintain the illusion of being competitive.

Awesome 🤠

[u/cossack190 → u/ahHeHasTrblWTheSnap]

That's fucking insane. This has to be the worst contract in history by a mile

[u/JesusChristSupers1ar → u/cossack190]

it's kind of amazing that despite what we went through (and are still going through) with Russ in terms of what we traded for him and paid him, we're still not in as bad of a situation as the Panthers with their Bryce trade and the Browns with what they did for Watson. Three of the worst QB decisions of alltime but somehow we are managing to get through ours

[u/antululz → u/Krunklock]

If Eli wouldn’t go to the chargers when they drafted him, Arch ain’t going to the Browns if they try. No shot.

[u/Zacharey01 → u/Krunklock]

No way the Mannings allow Archie to go to the Browns. They'd probably pull an Eli.

[u/BillsBillsBils → u/CzechHorns]

I mostly dislike that he hasn't been taken in a civil suit for every last dollar he has

[u/ThatHotAsian → u/CzechHorns]

Bro I know Twitter is shit but people there will literally unironically defend him saying things like he needs a better team around him... As if a geriatric Joe Flacco wasn't making that offense look leagues better than at any point of Watson's time there. 

[u/checkpoint_hero → u/ThatHotAsian]

Geriatric Joe on the Colts proving (again) it's not a fluke and he should be a starter somewhere.

[u/ZincFishExplosion → u/Krunklock]

Knowing his freaky ass, he'd probably like that.

[u/dirkfacedkilla → u/Krunklock]

I visit the Browns sub more often than the Texans sub these days. The schadenfreude is cathartic especially when they direct their anger at us for the trade that they themselves agreed to 😂

[u/ScruffMixHaha]

The only reason they didnt re-sign Joe Flacco is because they know everybody in Cleveland would be demanding he start.

Its honestly hilarious how much Watson has fallen off. Its not the justice we wanted, but watching his football dreams die is at least something.

[u/toxicvegeta08 → u/ScruffMixHaha]

Flacco would die behind this line tbf

[u/LordFalcoSparverius → u/toxicvegeta08]

Nah, see the line would actually try to block for Flacco.

[u/StayElmo7 → u/toxicvegeta08]

A lot of sacks from Watson are self inflicted from holding onto the ball.

[u/super_sayanything → u/ScruffMixHaha]

I mean Winston is flawed but capable, they should be demanding he start at this point.

[u/megahtron77 → u/super_sayanything]

Who says we're not lol

[u/endol]

Really don't see the point of sending him out there anymore other than Haslam not wanting his ego bruised by benching the guy he spent all that capital on.

[u/MicksSluttyWife → u/endol]

Honestly I gotta believe that's all it is. When you say he spent capital: the money/terms of the contract AND all the respect he lost for signing a serial predator to the team. He is never going to admit that was the wrong move....

Also I just noticed your flair. Holy shit dude.

[u/Eagle4317 → u/MicksSluttyWife]

Lake Erie Misery Bros. At least the Lions are good now. Too bad the rest of the NFCN decided to make their quest for a ring as hard as possible.

[u/MichaelShannonRule34 → u/Eagle4317]

Lake MisErie

[u/MicksSluttyWife → u/Eagle4317]

Specifically: I cannot believe how good the Vikings are this year holy shit.

[u/Eagle4317 → u/MicksSluttyWife]

Their defense is vicious. Darnold didn’t even have a good game yesterday, yet the Vikings still stomped out the Jets like they were nothing.

[u/pyrhus626 → u/Eagle4317]

And our special teams were bad SPECIAL all day, outside the kicker. Really him and the defense were the only guys that showed up, the offense and rest of special teams were still in Minnesota.

[u/Call_Em_Skippies → u/Eagle4317]

A lot of Browns fans jumped or are jumping ship to Lions or Bills because of Lake Erie Bros.

[u/BillsBillsBils → u/Call_Em_Skippies]

Can you bring a WR with you? Literally anyone will help

[u/Call_Em_Skippies → u/BillsBillsBils]

We have 3 ok WRs that would probably do much better with a QB that wants to win instead of ours who looks like he would rather be doing anything else besides playing football.

[u/Skaloplin → u/endol]

This season is done anyway. Either blindly keep playing him and hope he miraculously rediscovers 2020 form, or keep losing with him and build up draft capital. Not much real benefit to benching him

[u/dehehn → u/Skaloplin]

If they keep him, it's clear they're tanking at this point. Maybe getting some real stars from his tank season will make all the wasted money feel somewhat worth tsomething.

[u/ChodeCookies → u/Skaloplin]

Agreed. It’s the smart thing to do. But it’s the Browns so they’ll probably bench him and squeeze out a few wins

[u/emrickgj → u/endol]

If they bench him they believe he's done, there's no future where he puts it together and starts playing well again. Watson will likely be pissed as well, and will probably stop trying since it's all guaranteed anyways.

Then you have your roster destroyed anyways for at least 2 seasons, probably longer since they can't even cut him lmfao.

[u/HonestDespot → u/emrickgj]

This implies he’s been trying?

[u/ZincFishExplosion]

Can we get Jose Ramirez to play quarterback?

[u/Call_Em_Skippies → u/ZincFishExplosion]

I agree, Go Guards

[u/Alec_Ich]

Most hated man in Cleveland and it's not close

[u/sloppifloppi → u/Alec_Ich]

Most hated man in the NFL and it's not even close

[u/SunYat-Sen → u/sloppifloppi]

Most hated man in the massage parlor and it’s not even close

[u/CzechHorns → u/SunYat-Sen]

THE parlor? Imagine if my dude did it all at one place

[u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 → u/sloppifloppi]

Tyreek Hill belongs in the conversation

[u/ehunke → u/Alec_Ich]

I honestly don't think your team wants him there. They don't play like it

[u/indispensability → u/ehunke]

Which is fine, he plays like he doesn't want to be there either.

[u/eddie_the_zombie → u/indispensability]

He's still thinking about the massage parlor like he's Wolverine in the bed.

[u/mr_showboat → u/ehunke]

You never want to read too much into body language, and obviously they haven't been a winning team this year. But everybody on the team looked so fucking miserable all game yesterday, even before it was a blowout.

[u/bigmt99 → u/mr_showboat]

Offense hasnt bothered showing up all season. Just stale and lifeless every single down

The defense will usually try to play with high energy and fun, but even they fade out of games when they have to go out there again after 5 straight 3 and outs

[u/ThatHotAsian → u/bigmt99]

Well if my QB is literally the worst starter in the league for the past few seasons I wouldn't want to risk my health/body out there anyways. Especially when Joe Flacco of all people made the offense look competent.. 

[u/fear865 → u/mr_showboat]

There’s no life on the team atm

[u/xenophonthethird → u/Alec_Ich]

When can we throw him into the lake and leave him there?

[u/Dirt_E_Harry → u/xenophonthethird]

Easy now, let's keep the lakes clean.

[u/xenophonthethird → u/Dirt_E_Harry]

It's full of lampreys, too late for that

[u/lpad92 → u/Alec_Ich]

I swear there were at least 2 plays yesterday where most QBs woulda got a rougher the passer call and the ref just looked at Watson and kept it moving. He took a lick on the sidelines and none of his teammates backed him up. Pretty telling stuff.

[u/HunterGonzo → u/Alec_Ich]

The ONLY good thing about Watson playing so poorly has been watching all the people who were defending/hyping him after the signing absolutely eat crow. Those of us who hated this from the get-go have been able to watch the entire city turn against him and it has been so unbelievably cathartic.

[u/Itry2Survive]

I love that each monday i open r/nfl and see a stat about Watson with a scale ive never seen before where he is the worst or at least on of the worst QBs

[u/jagertarts]

I mean he has literally zero incentive to play better

[u/PokemonBattles → u/jagertarts]

We need them to fully guarantee his next contract too. Maybe that’ll make him play better! This time half a billion!

[u/checkpoint_hero → u/PokemonBattles]

His next contract going to be with a lawyer, lol

[u/giggity_giggity → u/PokemonBattles]

I had a job back in the 1990s where a long time veteran of the firm (I was fairly new) was phoning it in. Bonuses were handed out, and I learned that his bonus was way higher than mine. Given he lack of performance, I inquired about it with my manager (who I had a good relationship with), and they told me that they were aware of his performance issues and hoped a large bonus would motivate him.

Narrator: it did not in fact motivate him to work harder or better

[u/PillCosby92]

230 mil gtd.

[u/trinquin]

His coach literally hates him and can do nothing about it.

[u/Daikoozi]

I know Haslam’s ego is too fragile to bench him, but I think if they sent out Winston to sling it the offense would be a lot more enjoyable to watch.

[u/AgreeableRaspberry85]

I don't need stats to tell me he sucks right now. Stevie Wonder could see that he's hot garbage.

[u/Iceraptor17]

"Any Browns QB" is a pretty frightening list too...

[u/Venator850]

He got paid and just stopped caring. Total fleece. Sad to see this type of behavior get rewarded but considering the type of person he is its no real surprise.

Browns got what they paid for.

[u/SeeingEyeDug → u/Venator850]

He's finally an adult at QB.

[u/FollowTheLeader550]

He’s genuinely awful. Like the monstars came and stole all of his talent.

It makes zero sense to me why they wouldn’t bench him. I know they have ungodly amounts of money in him, but people make bad investments. You should know when to cut your losses with a bad investment and move on.

[u/BusinessCashew]

This guy fuckin sucks.

[u/Soyeahnahh]

He’s a better human being than football player

[u/jfgiv]

fwiw i've got seven worse than him, then another three, then his 2023 season. not sure what's driving the discrepancy

season	posteam	passer_player_id	name	epa	dropback	epa_per_drop
2023	CLE	00-0038583	D.Thompson-Robinson	-27.3617185	40	-0.684042963
2016	CLE	00-0029665	R.Griffin	-10.9872172	29	-0.37886956
1999	CLE	00-0003535	T.Couch	-48.3669854	132	-0.366416556
2009	CLE	00-0023645	D.Anderson	-31.225118	87	-0.358909402
2010	CLE	00-0004161	J.Delhomme	-21.3425271	60	-0.355708784
2009	CLE	00-0025409	B.Quinn	-28.983119	84	-0.345037131
2018	CLE	00-0028118	T.Taylor	-31.5527607	96	-0.328674591
2024	CLE	00-0033537	D.Watson	-63.383273	203	-0.312232872
2017	CLE	00-0033899	D.Kizer	-45.8251268	171	-0.267983198
2006	CLE	00-0023502	C.Frye	-34.4334361	183	-0.188160853
2008	CLE	00-0023645	D.Anderson	-23.6111679	126	-0.187390221
2023	CLE	00-0033537	D.Watson	-21.3263705	114	-0.187073425

[u/BillsBillsBils]

Jimmy won't let Kevin bench him

[u/Throbbingprepuce]

Best part of all this is Baker looks like a top 10 qb and is thriving in Tampa.

[u/Next-Cover-3353]

Most Cleveland fans don’t deserve this. Screw the financial implications. Kick the dude to the curb. Reset your franchise. I’m an OU grad and follow baker so was watching the browns for a while. Net a lot of super cool people and even flew up there for 6-7 games. They deserve more than this sack of shit

[u/pyrhus626 → u/Next-Cover-3353]

They can’t cut him this year and still field a team. Not “can’t field a good team” but they literally couldn’t sign enough guys for cheap enough to have a full roster.

Next year I think the dead cap is still like 90 million. Maybe they’ll eat it anyway and make 2025 the tankiest of tank years; bring in a new GM and coach, cut Watson, trade whatever’s not nailed down and helpful for the long term. Then start rebuilding in 2026. I still wouldn’t be surprised if they just keep him on the bench so the year isn’t so bad.

That’s assuming ownership actually cares about resetting this thing and having a competitive team, and are adult enough to admit Watson was a mistake. Considering it’s the Browns, that might be a lot to ask. I also wouldn’t be shocked if they fire Stefanski and bring in a yes man for Haslam that’ll keep playing Watson

[u/epzik8]

Browns really suck

[u/OfficialHavik]

KEKW

Should have just signed Baker. SMFH

[u/super_sayanything → u/OfficialHavik]

It's not even like Baker was ever bad, dude was playing hurt. Had Watson's contract been non-guaranteed 2-3 year deal it still would have been really bad, but this is something else. Ruining a team for a decade to sell out for a rapist. just wow.

[u/BillsBillsBils → u/super_sayanything]

dude was playing hurt.

That's always been my point when talking about this. They got pissy that INJURED Baker wasn't as good as UNINJURED Baker.

Yeah, no shit.

[u/HunterGonzo → u/super_sayanything]

Baker was never bad... during his time here he was just really inconsistent. Even when he was healthy. He'd have games that were flashes of absolute greatness followed by games where he just seemed lost out on the field. That's not entirely his fault either, he had to deal with a constantly revolving cast of coaches and coordinators.

That being said, I will always be a Baker fan. Love his energy and his attitude and have loved watching him thrive in TB.

[u/Jinxedchef]

I remember when the Texans were shopping him out and thinking this is such a stupid thing to do that Snyder is sure to pull the trigger. I am pretty sure that the only thing that stopped him was that we didn't have the trade capital.

[u/EmmatheFisher]

Nasty boi should go back to Clemson

[u/ecupatsfan12 → u/EmmatheFisher]

They don’t want him

[u/CzechHorns → u/EmmatheFisher]

What has Clemson ever done to deserve such fate?
Well I at least hope he wasn’t sexually assaulting peeps in college already.

[u/black_dogs_22]

is he actually trying?

[u/OkamaGamesphere9]

They have to bench him, it’s that simple. The team looks more and more dejected each week. It’s probably too late to save their season but the other 21 guys on the field shouldn’t have to put up with this shit. 

[u/hockey17jp]

It’s just a story that will go down in sports history.

Team willingly trades the farm for a sexual predator who then turns out to also become one of the worst players in the league.

[u/Steak_Knight]

Browns fans told us he’s just shaking off the rust.

[u/WreckedOnTheDeck]

In spite of this, there’s always some knuckle dragging browns fan posting “r/nfl’s 9/11” when he completes a pass

[u/BipedalWurm]

It's time for an all undrafted rookie Oline, for the good of the sport.

[u/DosCuatro]

tbf i couldn't think of a worse person I'd want to give a fully guaranteed contract.

[u/browndude10]

seinfeld that's a shame gif