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Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson were the three biggest pieces in the 2021 offseason, with two of them making big moves in 2022. With the move, Deshaun Watson went from the south to the north. He also brought along his reputation, which has changed in the last 15 months.
Speaking on First Take, Dominique Foxworth says Browns fans don't care enough about the 22 lawsuits to reject Watson. Here's what he said:
“I’m not surprised by the decision they made because frankly, it's a reflection on us. Like as up in arms as all of us want to be about this, we have to understand that the Browns made this calculation because they know that, after all, if he can play as well as he’s been playing in the past, then none of this is going to matter."
He continued, explaining why fans will continue to watch, despite what takes place once the cameras are turned off:
"Like we're not going to, people aren't going to stop watching the Browns. People aren't going to stop buying tickets or buying jerseys. Like, they know that because that's how we've treated all of this in the past. The reason why they did this and the reason why they're comfortable doing this is because they know that we don't care."
Fans can speculate and fill in the blanks as to who Foxworth was referencing in the above comment. He went on to say that the most important thing is that he plays well:
"Like as much as we grandstand on TV or on Twitter or whatever, we all do it. None of us actually care enough to do anything about it. So they know that the bottom line is that he's going to play well and that's all that matters. And I'm rooting like, I like Andrew Berry. I've heard incredible things about Stefanski off the field as far as the commitment that he has to employees in that building."
While Browns fans will root for their quarterback, Foxworth isn't able to have the same enthusiasm:
"Like, these people sound like great people that I want to root for. Deshaun Watson is someone who I would like to root for, but it's hard for me. I can't right now. And to the point I made to start, it's like we're gonna have plenty of time to talk about football stuff. In a year or two from now, this will be a footnote, as sad as that is."
He went on to say what he felt about talking about with Watson when he comes up, ultimately choosing his off-the-field issues over his on-the-field performance:
"Like I can't bring myself to break down what it means for Deshaun Watson and the Browns on the field; nearly as much as I feel compelled to bring up the impact that he’s had on the 23 women who accused him of sexual assault.”
Deshaun Watson's 2022 workload
Deshaun Watson has a lot of work to do in 2022. He needs to fully wrap up any residual fallout from his lawsuits, including a potential suspension from the NFL that many pundits predict is on the way. He also needs to prove to the Browns that they made a good investment in him by staying clean off the field and playing well on it.
In fewer words, he needs to be better than Baker Mayfield and remain as clean. In terms of playing well, many have more than enough evidence to suspect he will be able to do that. In his last full season in 2020, the quarterback completed more than 70 percent of his throws, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
