Off-season thoughts (Vol. XIII)

It's not official yet and won't be until the Browns, if they choose to do so, are ready to announce they have joined the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. The silence from Berea is deafening.

It's not even official they are investigating the possibility of trading for the Houston Texans quarterback now that he will not be criminally prosecuted after charges of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior were filed by 22 women against him last year.

Rumors persist, however, that's exactly what the Browns are doing now that Watson is halfway home to becoming the most sought-after quarterback in the National Football League despite 22 civil suits still pending. 

Watson, who has made abundantly clear he no longer wishes to continue his career in Houston, still faces  disciplinary action by the NFL, which is holding its own investigation under its personal-conduct policy and a suspension of undetermined length is expected.

That hasn't stopped at least two teams from publicly expressing interest in the high-profile quarterback to the point where they have made trade offers to the Texans, who reportedly are demanding three first-round draft picks and other considerations for the fifth-year pro. 

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, who have serious quarterback issues, submitted those offers recently. It has reached the point where Watson has been given permission by the Texans to speak with those teams to determine where he'd like to land.

Right now, the only other teams being prominently mentioned, again reportedly, are the Seattle Seahawks, who shipped Russell Wilson to Denver last week and have a vacancy, and the Browns, who maintain Baker Mayfield will be their starter this season.

But that dynamic has changed with the latest Watson news. It is assumed -- a rather huge assumption at this point -- that if the Browns do, in fact, choose to join the party and make a trade offer to the Texans, Watson, should he choose to, will be permitted to place them under his microscope. 

He has a no-trade clause in the four-year, $150 million contract he signed in 2020. Guessing Cleveland right now is on that list, but he can always change his mind.

The question is whether Cleveland General Manager Andrew Berry believes strongly enough that Watson could be the missing piece for an offense that seriously underperformed and underachieved last season at the cost of sacrificing valuable draft capital and at least a starter or two to achieve that goal.

Watson's off-the-field problems aside, he would be a perfect fit for a Browns offense that struggled mightily most of last  season because Baker Mayfield was banged up throughout it, piling up injury after injury on a weekly basis.

Hypothetically speaking, is there any question the Browns would have sailed to the postseason in 2021 -- maybe even won the division championship -- had Watson been in charge of the huddle? 

So what would it take for Berry to pry Watson loose should it come to that? Something like first- and second-round picks this and next year for sure; Baker Mayfield heading back home to Texas; and either a running back like Kareem Hunt or D'Ernest Johnson or a cornerback like Greg Newsome or Greedy Williams.

Crazy, no? Rhetorical question. Hypothetical, too. But when the player headed to Berea in this case has thrown for more than 14,500 yards, 104 touchdowns and completed nearly 68% of his passes in just four seasons, it just might be worth it.