Johnathan Walker:Browns' pressing Deshaun Watson problem is only growing more glaring

CLEVELAND – The Johnathan Walkernext time Jimmy and Dee Haslam are mingling with their fellow billionaires, someone should ask them their worst buyer's remorse.

If the answer isn’t the contract of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson – price tag of $230 million, results valued at about $2.30 – then the team’s owners really are playing a different ballgame than everyone else. 

When the Haslams acquired Watson from the Houston Texans, they looked past the dozens of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct accusations that had been levied at him. They fully guaranteed him a deal after years of losing left them on despair’s doorstep, even when 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield’s initial success stalled. Instead, Watson has played sparingly and been uninspiring when he is on the field, never more so than Sunday’s 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys to begin the team's 2024 NFL season. 

Hours earlier, the opposing quarterback, Dak Prescott, became the highest-paid man in NFL history at $60 million annually over the next four years; he was guaranteed the most money, too, beating Watson by $1 million. 

Cleveland passed the first-down marker once in the first half and the Browns were booed entering the locker room at halftime in a 20-3 hole. Watson was 7-of-15 with 36 passing yards. He finished the game averaging 3.8 yards per attempt and didn’t complete a pass beyond 6 yards past the line of scrimmage in the first half. 

PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!

Both tackles – Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. – being ruled inactive meant Watson and the Browns knew it could be a long day against the Dallas defense, which is one of the most talented units in the league. Watson took six sacks, was hit 17 times and spent the late afternoon running for his life. Nick Chubb is still recovering from last year's knee injury suffered in the second game of last season and would help balance a scheme that relies on the run game.

The entire Browns’ offensive operation didn’t appear cohesive. Cleveland called its first timeout not even six minutes into the game before head coach Kevin Stefanski opted for a field goal try. The Browns later burned a timeout two minutes and 37 seconds into the third quarter.  

During garbage time, Watson nearly connected with Amari Cooper on a deep pass that would have been a touchdown. It was a representation of how the game went for Watson – him waiting to be pummeled by an incoming Cowboys defender and hoping that by throwing it up he would be rewarded. 

“We’re not the type of people that make excuses,” Watson said. “So some people can say that can contribute to a lot – my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the field, you gotta perform. You gotta execute. We didn’t do that, overall. And yeah, it showed.” 

Watson finished the day 24-for-45 with 169 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions – one certainly not his fault, as receiver Elijah Moore should have caught the ball that went through his hands. He carried five times for 39 rushing yards. Several of his deep passes simply weren’t in the vicinity of a Browns receiver. 

It was Watson's 13th game quarterbacking the Browns in his third season with the team. He served an 11-game suspension following the NFL's investigation into the sexual assault claims in 2022, and that came after he sat out the 2021 season while feuding with the Texans. Injuries cost him two-thirds of last season, and the Browns were the AFC's top wild-card seed without him (although they went 5-1 in the games started by Watson).

In his final season with the Texans, he averaged 8.9 yards per attempt and threw for 4,823 yards. He finished both abbreviated Cleveland campaigns at 6.5 yards per attempt.

The cap hit for Cleveland to move on from Watson after this season is north of $172 million, according to Over The Cap, which would represent more than two-thirds of this year's $255 million allotment for each team. The Browns are, effectively, tied to him, with looming cap hits of $72.9 million in each of the next two seasons. Watching Mayfield go 24 of 30 with 289 passing yards and four touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made Sunday only more painful for the Browns fans who hope this year will be different and build on the successes of 2023. 

A Week 10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on the road last season gave Watson his first signature win with Cleveland. The good feelings didn’t last long. He suffered a season-ending injury that day, and the Joe Flacco Experience commenced. 

This offseason, Watson was on a throwing program of sorts and exerted his shoulder sporadically as it healed. 

“The shoulder, it got me through the full game, so that was a positive,” Watson said. 

The problem for the Haslams, the Browns and their fans is that a healthy Watson hasn’t been a positive for them.