Browns-Texans matchup puts Deshaun Watson trade back in spotlight
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It's hard to run away from a bad trade. Photo: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Browns take on the Houston Texans on Sunday in a game that will showcase how a historic trade has affected both teams' present and future.
Why it matters: The Browns and Texans are competing for a wild card spot in the AFC playoffs.
- Houston owes much of its success this season to the draft picks it got from Cleveland in exchange for quarterback Deshaun Watson in March 2020.
Flashback: The Browns received in the trade a three-time Pro Bowl player in Watson and the Texans' 2024 fifth-round pick.
- The Texans got the Browns' first-round draft picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as a 2022 fourth-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Between the lines: Cleveland signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
Yes, but: Watson has struggled to regain his Pro Bowl form and has played in just 12 of 31 possible games due to injuries and an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations.
State of play: The Browns enter Sunday's game with 38-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback and Watson out of the season due to a shoulder injury.
- Flacco has led Cleveland to two straight wins but is not a long-term answer at quarterback.
The other side: The Texans turned their draft picks into several key players, including running back Dameon Pierce, wide receivers Tank Dell and John Metchie, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr,. and linebacker Christian Harris.
The intrigue: Houston also drafted Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with its own No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
- Stroud is the overwhelming favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, having already broken multiple rookie passing records.
What's next: The winner of Sunday's game will be in pole position for one of the last AFC playoff spots.
The bottom line: Win or lose, the Texans appear to be set at quarterback for the next decade, while the Browns are left with a $230 million QB who hasn't stayed on the field.
- Oh, and the Texans still have the Browns' 2024 first-round draft pick.