By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer
Maybe the Cleveland Browns didn’t strike out when they made that blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson.
A deal that was a disaster for four years is suddenly producing some hits.
After Browns owner Jimmy Haslam called the trade “a big swing and miss,” Watson beat out Shedeur Sanders for the starting job. It appeared the experiment would only last two weeks and Sanders would start the home opener in Week 3 in front of the fans Watson called out in training camp for cheering when he got hurt in 2024.
But Watson led the Browns to a comeback win on the road in Tampa Bay in Week 2. And another one at home against Carolina last week. And another one at home over AFC North rival Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
That’s three straight comeback wins in the fourth quarter for Watson and the Browns, who lead the division with a 3-1 record.
“There’s belief, hope, determination,” Watson said on Amazon Prime Video after the game. “Those guys look at me and they just want me to lead the ship. I told them to believe in me, do what I ask and I’m gonna make a play when the ball and opportunity come and that’s what happened.”
The Browns shocked the football world in 2022 when they traded a slew of draft picks, including three first-rounders, to get Watson from the Texans. It was even more stunning when they gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million, five-year contract. It was a record for most guaranteed money until Josh Allen and the Bills broke it in 2025.
Watson was suspended the first 11 games of his first season because more than two dozen female massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault during private massage therapy sessions in Texas.
He didn’t play well when he came back and made just 19 starts, going 9-10 before he tore his right Achilles tendon in October 2024 and tore it again while rehabbing.
“It’s a credit to him to work as hard as he did for 22 months,” Browns first-year coach Todd Monken said. “Had no reason. He had already had a great career. To work to get to this point, I told him: ‘We were gonna introduce you last.’ Isn’t that super cool? Really credit to him. Nothing to do with me. Credit to him and the guys around him.”
Watson was 24 of 33 for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 27-24 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers on Thursday night. He’s completed 69.6 % of his passes for 855 yards, eight TDs and two picks with a passer rating of 104 in four games.
Watson is finally playing like the quarterback who went to three Pro Bowls in four seasons in Houston.
“We’ve been seeing it in practice all year, all camp,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward said. “We knew what we had in the locker room, just competing against him in practice and he’s been coming out here and showing it so we believed in him the entire time and he’s proven us right and proven himself right.”
Watson has come a long way in a few weeks. After a poor performance in a lopsided loss to Jacksonville in the season opener, it seemed going into Week 2 that he was possibly going to make his last start. But he made the most of it, beginning a streak of comebacks.
Watson’s wife, Jilly Anais, watched his postgame news conference in Tampa Bay off to the side. She was ecstatic to celebrate, telling Watson he deserved to win.
The couple walked out of the room with big smiles. Watson hasn’t stopped smiling. Same goes for Browns fans, who aren’t complaining about Watson anymore.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here