Las Vegas Raiders: Ranking every 2023 starting quarterback in the AFC
- 8. Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
While Deshaun Watson is not worth a second of anyone's time off the field, the NFL has decided to allow him back on it. As such, we must discuss his impact as a football player regardless of the more than twenty sexual assault and harassment accusations made against him.
After serving his suspension from the NFL, Watson played in just six games last season after missing the entirety of the 2021 season. The results were obviously mixed. Since being traded from the Houston Texans, he entered a new city with a new team, in a different offense with players he had never played with before.
The team went 3-3 in his starts as he threw for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions. Obviously, the counting stats were career lows, the percentages weren't much better as he finished with a 58.2 completion percentage, 183.7 yards per game, and a 38.3 QBR. All of which were career lows.
Still, this was to be expected from someone who had not played NFL football in nearly two years. Heading into next season, the Browns roster is loaded with talent like Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
A full off-season of preparation with this group should see Watson return to the lofty highs he reached in Houston when he was a perennial MVP candidate. If this does happen, he will skyrocket up the list as he is capable of playing like a top-five quarterback in the entire league.