Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
A Cleveland Browns legend isn’t buying that Deshaun Watson still has — or deserves — a shot at the starting quarterback job.
Former Browns cornerback and two-time All-Pro Hanford Dixon didn’t mince words on the quarterback situation, calling out the franchise’s $230 million Watson mistake and demanding Shedeur Sanders get the keys heading into his second NFL season.
“Jimmy’s lost a lot of money with Deshaun Watson, right? Deshaun hasn’t done a damn thing for this football team,” Dixon said. “Let’s just face it, gotta tell Shedeur that he is the starting quarterback now… Right now it’s got to be Shedeur’s job to lose.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Looking at ‘Fresh Start’
Watson signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract in 2022 after arriving in a blockbuster trade that sent three first-round picks to the Houston Texans.
Since then, the return hasn’t matched the investment. Watson has appeared in just 19 games for Cleveland, posting a 9-10 record as a starter. He has yet to recapture the Pro Bowl form he displayed in Houston and missed all of last season after undergoing two Achilles surgeries.
Still, the Browns are leaving the door open for a turnaround under new head coach Todd Monken.
“Deshaun has a great chance — a fresh start with an offensive-minded coach who, in the past, has been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” Haslam said. “So Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day — he said he weighs the least he has in several years. He’s in great shape. He’ll be in Cleveland on April 7 when we start the offseason workout program. Let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”
Watson has been present at voluntary workouts in Berea under Monken. But for Dixon, a healthy Watson doesn’t change the calculus.
“I would hate to see Shedeur have to go through what he went through last year,” Dixon said. “You had Dillon Gabriel, I mean, for instance, ahead of him taking the reps that this guy should have been taking in order to get ready.”
Sanders Showed Flashes in Turbulent Rookie Year
Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across seven starts after spending the early part of the year behind Gabriel on the depth chart.
While the numbers were not overly impressive, Sanders did have his moments. In early December, he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Monken took note.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability. That’s in him,” Monken said. “You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go. But what rookie isn’t, I mean, what first year player doesn’t have a long way to go? So, I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
The Browns also have two first-round picks, although they are not expected to go after a quarterback early in the draft,