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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with an injury in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and it didn’t look good. A camera angle from behind the $230 million QB seemed to show the unmistakable calf wobble that accompanies an Achille’s tendon tear.
While we’ll have to wait for doctors to confirm the official diagnosis, it seems like there is a good chance that Watson is out for the year. If that is the case, second-year signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the QB the Browns went with in Week 7 and veteran Jameis Winston is in the mix, too. However, there are a few trades the Browns can investigate to possibly give them a better chance to salvage their season now that Watson on hurt.
The big problem that the Browns will run into while pursuing a trade ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline is that they still have Watson on the books, fully guaranteed, for nearly $150 million over the next two seasons.
That said, the team does have money this season after renegotiating Watson’s deal in the offseason. They also have several extra picks in 2025, including a second third-rounder after trading Amari Cooper to the Bills ahead of Week 7. So, a Browns trade for a QB for the remainder of the season does make some sense. And if they want to pursue one, here are the four best candidates.
Joe Flacco
Hey, remember that time when Deshaun Watson suffered an injury, went out for the season, and then Joe Flacco came in and took the team to the playoffs?
You should. It happened just last season.
Flacco proved last season that even at 39, he can still be a premier backup in the league. However, when you have an already-controversial QB on the books for three years and nearly $200 million heading into the 2024 season, it’s somewhat understandable you don’t want a QB behind him who might be better.
So, Flacco went to the Indianapolis Colts and came in and looked good again, while the Browns and Watson continued to struggle. Now, Watson is out again, though, and Anthony Richardson is back for the Colts, so maybe the Browns can trade from their former backup and recapture the magic that helped Flacco and the team make the playoffs in 2024.
Bryce Young
While all the other options on this list are short-term, there is a longer-term option that could be available. The No. 1 overall pick of 2023, Bryce Young, is out with the Carolina Panthers and it looks like the relationship between the tiny QB and the dysfunctional franchise is broken beyond repair.
If the Panthers are as soured on Young as it seems, maybe a late-round pick gets him out of Charlotte and to Cleveland.
Even though he was a top draft pick, Young’s contract isn’t so big that it precludes the Browns from taking a shot. The QB’s cap hit is $8.6 million this season, $10.3 million next season, and $12 million the season after that. When his salary balloons to the $20-plus million range with his fifth-year option, the Browns will finally be out of salary cap hell with Watson.
This is unlikely to happen, but it could be an interesting lottery ticket for the Browns if they can make the right deal.
Gardner Minshew
The Raiders started the season with Gardner Minshew as their starter, but after a 2-4 start, Antonio Pierce replaced him with second-year QB Aidan O’Connell. Minshew hasn’t been great, but he is a solid veteran. Bringing in someone like him may allow them to run, play defense, and win games like they did last season like Flacco.
Las Vegas may do this because they now know their future is now either with O’Connell or a new QB next season, not with Minshew under any circumstances. For Cleveland, they can bring him in this season and cut Minshew with little damage to the cap next season.
Minshew may not be that much of an upgrade over Winston, but if the franchise wants to throw some darts at the board to see what sticks, this is a decent dart.
Russell Wilson
Whether or not this Browns trade is available after the Deshaun Watson injury comes down to how Russell Wilson performs when he starts in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 7 tilt with the New York Jets on Sunday Night.
If he performs well, this deal likely won’t be there.
If he doesn’t play well, Justin Fields could get his job back for good and make Wilson expendable at the NFL trade deadline.
If the Browns want to do this, they could get a veteran QB on the cheap, and like last year maybe find some hope with a former Super Bowl-winning signal-caller.
