Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry will deal with Deshaun Watson’s future “later” as he focuses on the struggling quarterback’s injury recovery.

Back in 2022, Watson was traded to the Browns in exchange for three first-round picks after impressing as the quarterback of the Houston Texans. He signed a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million – one of the largest contracts in NFL history – and the 29-year-old has struggled to live up to the billing since.

After facing over two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, Watson didn’t play in 2021. The absence appears to have affected his abilities on the field, and the quarterback was struggling immensely before going down with a torn Achilles.

Watson started seven games, leading the Browns to a 1-5 record. The Browns’ pass attack floundered, with Watson throwing for just 1,148 yards and five touchdowns, along with a dismal 22.4 quarterback rating.

Over three seasons, Watson has only started 19 games due to an 11-game suspension and two season-ending injuries, going 9-10. His Browns tenure has been dismal, and fans appear ready to move on – but Berry was not ready to commit either way over Watson’s future.

“Really, our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost with recovery, and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,” Berry said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Everything else, we’ll deal with at a later moment.”

With Watson at the helm this season, the Browns failed to score more than 20 points in any game. The Browns offense struggled mightily, ranking 31st in yards per game (274.4), and 28th in both passing yards per game (183.4) and points (16.4). However, Berry insists the blame isn’t totally at the feet of Watson.

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Deshaun Watson has endured a difficult tenure with the Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson has endured a difficult tenure with the Cleveland Browns ( 

Image:

AP)

“We haven’t played well as a team and we haven’t played well as a unit on offense,” Berry continued. “I think oftentimes when you don’t play well on offense, obviously your starting quarterback and your play-caller will get the most criticism.

“But the reality of it is, offenses, it comes down to organization and synchronization. There’s just a lot of shared ownership across the different position groups in terms of why we didn’t perform.”

Despite the clear and gargantuan failure of the trade, Berry refused to express regret over the trade. He added: “I’m really not in reflection mode.”

The 2-7 Browns are on a bye this week. The franchise is next in action against the 2-7 New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 17.