Deshaun Watson's feelings shouldn't get in the way of correct Browns QB decision

The Cleveland Browns finalized their initial 53-man roster before the roster deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

The most surprising aspect of Cleveland’s roster structure came at the quarterback position. While most teams typically only carry two players at the position, the Browns reserved four valuable roster spots for quarterbacks. Along with starter Deshaun Watson, backup quarterbacks Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley all made the team.

The Browns will likely attempt to offload at least one of those backups in a trade before the regular season begins. Thompson-Robinson was informed that he would remain on the 53-man roster, according to Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot. With Thompson-Robinson's roster spot secured, there has been speculation that Winston could be traded.

Deshaun Watson may be to blame for Jameis Winston’s expected departure

Cleveland’s attempt to trade Winston comes as a surprise after he put together an impressive preseason, rife with viral pregame speeches. Chatter about Watson’s job security began to grow louder after Winston endeared himself to the team and the fanbase, which may have caused the team's starting quarterback to feel threatened.

On 92.3 The Fan’s “Afternoon Drive,” radio co-hosts Nick Wilson and Dustin Fox speculated that the decision to trade Winston may have been made to placate Watson.

“If the idea is that he is a threat to Deshaun Watson, this thing is cooked,” Wilson said. “There’s not a shot in hell this thing's going to work out if we’re three years into this and you’re worried about Deshaun’s psyche because of a backup quarterback. Again, I’m not saying that’s the case, I’m just acknowledging that could be the possibility. If we’re worried about Deshaun’s ability to maintain a locker room because somebody else is really good at talking in front of people … it would cause me to lose all remaining faith that I would have in Deshaun.”

The Browns took a huge gamble when they mortgaged their future for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Along with trading three first-round picks to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans, Cleveland signed Watson to an unprecedented five-year, $230 million deal, which was the first fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history.

Since joining the team, Watson has posted an 8-4 record in just 12 starts with the Browns. He's completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. 

While the statistical output isn't bad, he far removed from the magical highlights he used to create with the Texans. His availability issues have stemmed from suspensions and injuries, and they've created instability on the Browns offense. Under new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Winston has started to seem like he could prove to be a better option than Watson, especially in terms of availability and reliability. With a great defense, Cleveland just needs a quarterback who can maintain a steady offense.

Watson was once seen as a good quarterback who could drag a bad team to the playoffs. Now, he seems like a bad quarterback who is just dragging a good team down.