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The Cleveland Browns are in a pivotal season with Deshaun Watson. Entering his second year in uniform, the pressure is on the team to prove that their decision to trade for him was not a poor one. To do so, they may have to make a big swing for DeAndre Hopkins.
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ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio said that everyone outside of Watson must be feeling pressure to be good. They need to justify the move, which was controversial and required a lot of assets:
“It’s critical the Browns get more out of Deshaun Watson. You’re in year two of a five-year fully guaranteed contract. There’s not as much pressure on Watson as there is on the people around him. The coaching staff is under a lot of pressure this year. If they don’t get the most out of Watson this year, there could be a change next year just because ownership will be feeling even more urgent to justify, not just the money, but all the draft picks they gave up.”
Florio went on to say that the Browns need to listen to Watson if they want to help him succeed. If they're not interested in doing that, it could be an issue:
“If Watson wants Hopkins and the team is saying no, that to me, is significant. If he truly believed they could benefit from Hopkins. And if the Browns don’t want him, that’s the kind of thing that could be a potential problem.”
Watson and Hopkins were teammates for the Houston Texans.
What was Deshaun Watson's best year like in the NFL?
Coincidentally, Deshaun Watson's best year in the NFL was the first year he did not play with DeAndre Hopkins. The star wide receiver had been with the Houston Texans since he was drafted and Watson was his quarterback until 2020.
That was the year he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals and it was Watson's best season to date. He was in rare form, tossing over 4,800 yards and 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
He was proving to be a special talent in the NFL that season until things went awry. After that, he sat out to try and leave the Texans and the sexual assault allegations began coming in. Then, he got traded to the Browns and played poorly after an 11-game suspension.
