Browns' QB situation takes a turn as Deshaun Watson finds his footing - ESPN

DESHAUN WATSON JOGGED toward the tunnel leading to the Cleveland Browns' locker room at Huntington Bank Field surrounded by cheers last Sunday — a stark contrast to the loud boos he received the last time he played in front of the hometown fans.

Waiting outside the locker room for the Browns' starting quarterback was general manager Andrew Berry, who smiled broadly. The two shared a handshake and hug. With Berry's arm around Watson's shoulder, they turned, ready to celebrate with the team.

The sequence leading to that scene and the change in reception from fans was a game-winning touchdown drive to defeat the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in Week 3. The win marked Watson's second fourth-quarter comeback in as many weeks, which seemed implausible after a late August preseason game, when Watson struggled in the second half, was loudly booed, and later lashed out at fans in the postgame news conference.

That preseason discontent seemed like the final chapter for a player who received a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract in March 2022 but was crumbling under high expectations in Cleveland. Through four seasons, 19 mostly underwhelming performances were sandwiched between an 11-game suspension after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions, and multiple significant injuries since Cleveland traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson.

Entering the 2026 season, the consensus view among Cleveland spectators was that the Browns might finally part ways with Watson at the end of the regular season, taking an exorbitant $86 million dead cap hit while possibly turning to the 2027 NFL draft — with the Browns holding two first-round picks — to