The Cleveland Browns went all in to land QB Deshaun Watson in 2022. Their deal with the Houston Texans included handing over three first-round draft picks, among other selections. They also gave Watson a new five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract.
The Browns have gotten 12 games out of Watson so far, a low number due to injury and suspension. As a team, they have one postseason appearance, losing in the opening round last season with Joe Flacco at quarterback. With three years left on that deal, the Texans have now harvested their bounty, so it’s time to look at what they’ve, literally, picked.
The Texans ultimately only used two of those first-round picks, adding G Kenyon Green in 2022 and DE Will Anderson Jr. in 2023. They used the Browns’ 2024 first-round pick to trade back, adding C Kamari Lassiter (second) and LB Jamal Hill (sixth).
The Watson haul also gave the Texans a 2022 fourth, which they turned into RB Dameon Pierce. A 2023 third-round pick turned into WR Tank Dell, who is dealing with just a flesh wound at the moment. Finally, they had a 2024 fourth-round pick used to select S Caden Bullock.
The Browns got Deshaun Watson as part of the deal, of course, in addition to a 2022 sixth-round pick. They traded that pick as part of the deal to add WR Jerry Jeudy. They signed him to a three-year, $52.5 million contract after acquiring him, which also cost them a fifth-round pick.
So there you have it. For parting with Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans drafted Kenyon Green, Will Anderson Jr. Kamari Lassiter, Tank Dell, Dameon Pierce, Caden Bullock, and Jamal Hill. Players like Green, Anderson, and Dell are already making their marks. Green did spend the 2023 season on the Reserve/Injured List due to a shoulder injury.
Then again, Watson missed his first 11 games as a Brown due to a suspension for allegedly sexually harassing or assaulting dozens of massage therapists. And he also spent most of the 2022 season dealing with a shoulder injury that landed him on the Reserve/Injured List.
Anderson won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2023 with seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Green entered the starting lineup as a rookie. Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Unfortunately, injury robbed him of the final five games of the regular season and two postseason games. Pierce has 1,621 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns, though he played less in 2023.
And the Texans drafted QB C.J. Stroud with the second pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Stroud is widely regarded as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league already. Meanwhile, the Browns are just trying to get a full season out of Deshaun Watson. They still owe him $46 million in each of the next three seasons, by which point Stroud will still be on his rookie contract—or more likely just about to sign a massive extension and possibly become the highest-paid player in NFL history.
