Browns Digest

Notable Host Offers Scathing Take On Infamous Cleveland Browns Trade

Browns QB Deshaun Watson struggled in the team's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday

Spencer German

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, along with General Manager Andrew Berry, left, and head coach Kevin Stefanski, right, field questions from reporters during Watson's introductory press conference at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, along with General Manager Andrew Berry, left, and head coach Kevin Stefanski, right, field questions from reporters during Watson's introductory press conference at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK
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How NFL fans remember the Cleveland Browns trade for Deshaun Watson isn't totally written yet. However, the move has reached critical mass with some.

Popular Fox Sports host Nick Wright is one of those people. He was ready this week to write the history books on how the Browns controversial trade to acquire Watson will be remembered. From his perspective, it's already the worst transaction in the league's history.

"I think the Browns are in such – of their own doing – a terrible spot," Wright said during a conversation on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. "I don't think people understand what the cap situation is for them. They still owe him in cap dollars $173 million. They have $173 million in cap chargers owed to Deshaun Watson starting in next year. So he's unmoveable, uncuttable and he's unplayable. I think Jameis [Winston] gives them a better option. This is without question, the worst transaction in NFL history.

The Browns first acquired Watson in 2022 in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans. Cleveland mortgaged its future by sending their 2022, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks over in the deal, along with fourth rounders in 2022 and 2024 and a third rounder in 2023.

To this point, the former Texans first-round pick has played in just 13 games for the Browns, completing under 60% of his passes for 2386 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He's added 356 yards and two touchdowns rushing as well.

Watson saw his 2024 campaign get off to a shaky start in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. He completed just 24 of his 45 pass attempts for 169 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Clemson product was also hit more than 17 times throughout the game, including six sacks.

This season is viewed as a key inflection point in Watson's tenure with the Browns and potentially for his career. If he's unable to right the ship in the weeks ahead there are bound to be plenty of others co-signing Wright's take.

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Spencer German
SPENCER GERMAN

Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland. Despite being a Cleveland transplant, Spencer has enjoyed making Northeast Ohio home ever since he attended college locally at John Carroll University, where he graduated in 2013.

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