Injuries Deny Texans 'Past vs. Future' Matchup vs. Cleveland Browns

With Deshaun Watson out for the season and C.J. Stroud still in concussion protocol, the Houston Texans won't have the quarterback battle they initially envisioned against the Cleveland Browns.

When the Houston Texans' 2023 schedule first dropped, Sunday's Christmas Eve game against the Cleveland Browns was expected to be a matchup between the franchise's past and future.

The past would be Cleveland's Deshaun Watson, the controversial quarterback whom Houston traded for a haul that has been instrumental to its resurgence. On the other hand, the future is new Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has taken the NFL by storm in one of the best rookie quarterback seasons the league has ever seen.

Thanks to injuries, though, it's possible that neither half of that matchup will take the field on Friday. 

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Watson is definitely not playing after undergoing season-ending surgery last month, and while Stroud has a shot to play, him still being in concussion protocol more than a week after the injury casts doubt on his status. 

Sunday's game is still a big one between two playoff contenders, but both quarterbacks potentially being out does put a damper on it.

Even if neither signal-caller takes the field on Christmas Eve, the Texans are still feeling the impact from both of them. Stroud is the far more obvious one, as not only has he guided Houston back to playoff contention after three years of misery, but he has made them a team that fans league-wide want to watch.

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Watson, on the other hand, isn't exactly impacting the Texans himself, but the haul they got for him certainly is. 

In exchange for Watson and a 2024 sixth-round selection, Houston got back six draft picks across three years, including three first-rounders. Through several further trades, the Texans have managed to turn those picks into Dameon Pierce, Will Anderson Jr., Tank Dell and more, and they still have two more picks in the 2024 draft.

As for the Browns? Yes, they're a good team right now, but that's on the back of their incredible defense while Watson struggled for them and hasn't been able to stay healthy. 

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Their situation figures to get even worse when Watson's cap hit jumps to an absurd $64 million (roughly) next season, and if he doesn't get back to his peak Texans form, that contract will go down as of the worst in NFL history.

While the past vs. future matchup may not play out on the field on Sunday, the impact of both quarterbacks will continue to be felt for years to come, especially in Houston.