For three years, the Browns contorted themselves to match Watson's strengths and desires. The reality is he never fit in.

Three seasons into his Browns tenure, Deshaun Watson has appeared in 19 games. Exclude his early exits versus the Colts in 2023 and Bengals in 2024 and he’s played a 17 full games. That’s the same amount of games as one NFL season,

It looks like 2026 is the more likely year for Watson to be cut. The Browns would absorb $73 million in dead money but would avoid losing cap space. Regardless, though, it’s going to cost the Browns when they finally do dump Watson.