Haslam Confident in Watson's Return

0:00On March 31st, Cleveland Brown's owner, Jimmy Haslam, is doubling down on DeShawn Watson as the team's top quarterback option, even without a clear. Number one on the roster right now. Speaking from the NFL owner's meetings in Phoenix, Haslam said Watson has a fresh start with an offensive-minded coach who's turned around plenty of, quarterbacks before. He mentioned chatting with Watson recently, noting the guys in the best shape of his career, weighing the least in years and ready to hit Cleveland. For off-season workouts on April 7th. Nearly a year after Haslam called the Watson trade, a big swing and miss, things feel different. Watson's been sidelined by two Achilles tears and hasn't played since week 7 of the 2024 season. Before that, he suited up for just six games each in 2022 and 2023, and seven last year before getting hurt again. Fans and analysts remember Watson as a star with the Houston Texans earning three pro-balls from 2018 to 2020. But his time in Cleveland started rough with an 11-game suspension over sexual misconduct allegations from 27 women, mostly tied to, massage sessions.

1:08The Browns traded three first-round picks for him anyway in 2022, and handed over a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $200, $30 million. Watson denied it all, and those lawsuits got settled or dismissed. Since arriving, Watson's play has dipped hard. I his quarterback rating fell to 80.7 over 19 games here compared to 104, 0.5, and 53 with Houston. The Browns cycled through guys like Joe Flacco, James Winston, and others without finding stability. Haslam seems set on seeing if the 30-year-old Watson can bounce back in the final year of that massive contract, with no off-season moves yet to. Shake up the quarterback room, the team's all in, waiting to watch improvement on the field. That's your NFL News Today update. AI powered and always on.