Latest news with #DeshaunWatson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Absolutely' - Browns Are Considering Surprising Quarterback Move
'Absolutely' - Browns Are Considering Surprising Quarterback Move originally appeared on The Spun. It's the Browns. When the Cleveland Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this April, they had a total of five quarterbacks on their roster between their incoming rookies, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson. And despite the kind of confusing nature of their stockpiling so many QBs, it sounds like the team could double-down on the the decision by the time the regular season kicks off. According to The Athletic's Zac Jackson, "the Browns absolutely might keep all four quarterbacks" heading into Cleveland's season opener. While also adding, "No, Shedeur Sanders is not going to start Week 1 for the Browns. But he's put a lot of pressure on his coaches and fellow QBs headed into this week — the biggest week of training camp as the Browns head to Philly." Fans reacted to the reporter's update on X: "At this point it's not even a QB room anymore. It's a pitching rotation now," a user said. "One as a starter, One as a backup, One to hold on field goals, And one listed as a wide receiver for tax purposes," another commented. "[Shedeur Sanders] should be developed and shouldn't be thrown out there week 1 but he should be considered to be put over Gabriel and Pickett," a fan pointed out. "While also finally getting meaningful reps with the 1's." "I'm a Shedeur fan who wants Flacco to start with Shedeur at QB2," another person replied. "Sitting behind a veteran QB can be very valuable, and you know he'd be ready if he had to come off the bench. Just my .02." "This isn't unprecedented," another user posted. "The Patriots kept 4 QBs in the 2000 season. Worked out ok for them. Not saying there's a Brady in their QB room. But if they have 4 guys who they think are NFL worthy (even if none are QB1 right now), they can make it work." The Browns have been bitten by the injury bug thus far in camp with Pickett and Gabriel both dealing with ailments this preseason — opening up a window for Shedeur Sanders to earn his way up the depth chart. Sanders played well in Friday night's debut with a 14-of-23 performance for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the way to a 30-10 win over Carolina. But head coach Kevin Stefanski says the team in "evaluation mode" when it comes to their QBs. 'Absolutely' - Browns Are Considering Surprising Quarterback Move first appeared on The Spun on Aug 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
08-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
With the Browns in town, revisiting the Panthers' pursuit of QB Deshaun Watson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While players from the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns stretched and warmed up on the Panthers' practice field Wednesday morning, a tall man wearing Browns-issued rain gear walked out with a member of the team's training staff. Deshaun Watson made the trip to Carolina. Had things gone differently — specifically, if Panthers owner David Tepper had been willing to guarantee all of an unprecedented, $230 million contract — Watson could have been on the Panthers' side of the field for the joint practice. Advertisement The Panthers and their fans likely are relieved that didn't happen. The Panthers were one of four finalists in the Watson sweepstakes in 2022, sending a contingent to Houston to meet with Watson and his agent despite the cloud of sexual misconduct allegations hanging over the then-Houston Texans quarterback. Deshaun Watson made the trip to Charlotte. — Joe Person (@josephperson) August 6, 2025 When Tepper balked at guaranteeing the third and fourth years of Watson's contract, the Texans traded Watson to Cleveland, where he's played in just 19 of a possible 51 games due to an 11-game suspension (stemming from the sexual misconduct allegations by more than 20 massage therapists) and a series of injuries. The Panthers have cycled through three head coaches and several quarterbacks since their pursuit of Watson but now seem to have found some stability in second-year coach Dave Canales and quarterback Bryce Young, whom they drafted No. 1 in 2023, a year after making a run at Watson. Meanwhile, seven players have started at quarterback for the Browns over the past two years. They brought five quarterbacks to Charlotte but don't know who their starter will be this season. And that doesn't count Watson, who's on the physically unable to perform list following a second Achilles surgery in January. 'We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,' Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters at the league meeting in March. 'We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole.' The Browns weren't the only team willing to take a big swing at Watson, the former Clemson quarterback who went to three consecutive Pro Bowls with the Texans and led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards in 2020. Advertisement The Panthers viewed Watson as the quarterback who could elevate the franchise. They believed his Clemson background would help with ticket sales and marketing, and they thought getting him closer to his hometown of Gainesville, Ga., and his college roots would benefit Watson. Many decision-makers who were part of the Watson discussions are gone. Matt Rhule is Nebraska's coach. General manager Scott Fitterer joined the Washington Commanders' personnel department last year. Steven Drummond, the VP of football operations and a senior advisor to Tepper, is Georgia's deputy athletic director and chief marketing officer. Samir Suleiman, VP of football administration, also has moved on. The Panthers declined to make Tepper or GM Dan Morgan, who was Fitterer's assistant, available to be interviewed. But The Athletic spoke with five team and league sources about the Panthers' involvement with Watson, some of whom were granted anonymity so they could speak freely. They described a vetting process of Watson that included a conversation between Tepper and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, an effort to bring Cam Newton back to entice Watson to choose the Panthers and concern and uneasiness among some women in the organization due to the allegations. Ultimately, the Panthers' ended their pursuit when the stakes became too rich for their billionaire owner. 'Dave wanted him. Dave just didn't want to guarantee a bunch of money,' a former team executive said. 'It was about the guarantee. That's it.' The Panthers first had interest in Watson in 2021 when he asked for a trade out of Houston. Watson was unhappy with the team's direction and believed he wasn't properly involved when the Texans hired general manager Nick Caserio. The Panthers were looking for a franchise-changing QB after Teddy Bridgewater went 4-11 as a starter during Rhule's first season. Advertisement Two months after Watson's trade request, the first of 24 eventual civil lawsuits was filed against Watson, accusing him of sexual misconduct and sexual assault during massage therapy sessions. The Panthers pivoted to Sam Darnold while Watson sat out the season in Houston. The Panthers kept in contact with the Texans, but never engaged in substantial talks before the trade deadline, The Athletic reported. But the Panthers re-emerged as suitors for Watson after losing their last seven games in 2021, including the final five with Newton at quarterback. Newton, signed in November after Darnold fractured his scapula, authored a 'He's back!' moment in Arizona, but otherwise barely resembled the QB who was the league MVP during the Panthers' 2015 Super Bowl season. The Panthers began doing background work on Watson. When a Houston grand jury declined to indict Watson on nine criminal complaints in March 2022, the Panthers and three other teams — the Browns, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints — intensified their efforts to land him. Three days after the Houston grand jury met, Tepper and his wife, Nicole, flew to Houston with team president Kristi Coleman, Fitterer, Morgan and Drummond. Morgan had a good relationship with David Mulugheta, Watson's agent, while Drummond had worked with Texans executive Jack Easterby in Jacksonville and knew Caserio, who interviewed for the Panthers' GM job before Fitterer was hired. As part of the Panthers' pitch, Drummond told Watson and Mulugheta that Newton was willing to re-sign with the Panthers as the backup behind Watson, who had played on Newton's seven-on-seven team and remains close with him. On a podcast last year with Watson and private QB coach Quincy Avery, Newton suggested Watson would have been a Panther if Newton had been a part of the Houston trip. 'This was the time where Deshaun was coming available. I was like, 'Bro, why wouldn't you involve me on these type of trips?' Oh, but I'm just a player and I just need to shut the f— up,' Newton said on the QB Unplugged podcast. 'Bro, I could've got Carolina Deshaun Watson, a surrogate son who played in South Carolina (at) Clemson.' Advertisement The Panthers had agreed on the framework of a trade that would send three first-round picks as part of a package for Watson. They returned to Charlotte feeling good about their chances of landing Watson until later that week when Mulugheta informed them during a conference call he wanted the Panthers to guarantee the third and fourth years of Watson's existing $156 million contract, which were not guaranteed as it was then structured. But Suleiman, the Panthers' lead negotiator at the time, objected, as did Tepper. Watson had initially eliminated the Browns from his list. With the Panthers out, and Cleveland agreeing to the increase in guarantees, Watson and the Browns struck the richest guaranteed contract in league history. That was on top of the massive haul Cleveland sent the Texans: three first-round picks and six total selections for Watson and a future sixth. When reached for comment, Drummond said he thought Carolina would have been a good opportunity for Watson to start over. 'We were all aligned on exploring the possibility, but Dan and I had the best access to information. I had relationships with Nick and Jack Easterby, and Dan had a great connection with the agent,' Drummond said. 'At the time I really believed that we could provide the right environment and infrastructure for the player to reset his career, and I expressed that to David and Nicole. In retrospect, I should not have pushed the Teppers to assume that level of risk that early in their ownership.' Drummond declined to comment on his discussions with Newton about returning to the team. Several months after bowing out of the Watson trade talks, the Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield, who had been displaced by Watson in Cleveland. Mayfield lasted less than a season with the Panthers in 2022. After Rhule was fired and Steve Wilks was named interim coach, the Panthers released Mayfield in December and he was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams. Advertisement But the Panthers' biggest move for a quarterback was still to come: a blockbuster trade in which Carolina dealt wide receiver DJ Moore and four picks — two firsts and two seconds — to the Chicago Bears to take Young No. 1 in 2023. Young got off to a rough start in Carolina. He was sacked 62 times as a rookie and benched two games into his second season. But the Panthers have high hopes for Young after his strong finish in 2024, and the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner had a good day in the joint practice against the Browns. While Young was tossing touchdown passes to Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan, Watson watched from the sideline — the first time he's attended a Browns practice this season. He finished 2023 and 2024 on injured reserve, and after suffering a torn Achilles last October during a loss to the Bengals, he tore it again last January in the early stages of his rehab process. Forty players have started at quarterback for the Browns since their return to the league in 1999, and 11 times in the new era they've had at least three starting quarterbacks in a season. In 2023, they joined the 2015 Texans and 2007 Panthers as the only teams this century to win a game with four different starting quarterbacks in a season. But after Joe Flacco went from his couch to pushing the Browns to the playoffs in 2023 with a four-game December win streak, the Browns never considered bringing Flacco back for 2024. The team was fully committed to Watson, and Flacco was too popular with the fans and inside the locker room. Now, Flacco is back — and he's the favorite to win the starting job ahead of Week 1. The Browns signed Flacco in April after trading for Kenny Pickett. They also drafted two quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who will start Friday's preseason opener at Bank of America Stadium. Advertisement As for Watson, the 29-year-old participates in quarterback meetings and has been spotted watching some training camp practices from the weight room inside the team's facility. Watson is under contract through 2026. After several contract restructurings the Browns had planned for, Watson's 2025 salary-cap number is $35.9 million, a figure that soars to $80.7 million in '26. Watson is on the Browns' books through 2029. (Top photo of Watson: Nick Cammett / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Time of India
06-08-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Cleveland Browns stun NFL — Tyler Huntley coup puts Shedeur Sanders on shock trade chopping block
Cleveland Browns stun NFL (Image credits: IG/X) Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury has plunged the Cleveland Browns into full-blown quarterback crisis. The franchise sent shockwaves by signing Tyler Huntley as their sixth active quarterback on the roster. It's a ruthless move that signals drastic changes brewing behind the scenes in Cleveland. Rookie Shedeur Sanders now finds himself in the eye of a potential preseason trade storm. Browns flood the QB room after Deshaun Watson disaster Huntley's arrival screams panic as Cleveland scrambles to survive without Watson in 2025-26. Head coach Kevin Stefanski now finds himself managing Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel too. With six passers battling for snaps, the Browns are almost certain to trigger a depth-chart cull. That brewing shake-up has immediately pushed Sanders into hot trade talks across the league. Coach Prime's son Shedeur Sanders shockingly labelled 'trade bait' Drafted in the fifth round, the 23-year-old was initially considered a long-term project. Now insiders claim he's become the most 'movable' QB asset in Cleveland's win-now blueprint. Keeping six quarterbacks is unrealistic — making Sanders a likely candidate to be shipped. Raiders and Saints emerge as frontrunners in Sanders sweepstakes Quarterback-hungry teams like the Raiders, Saints and Falcons are already circling. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Each organisation is hunting upside without paying veteran premiums ahead of preseason. Sanders offers youth, star power and commercial draw as the son of Deion 'Coach Prime' Sanders. If the Browns pull the trigger, he could be the headline name moved before Week 1 fireworks. Could this be the Browns' biggest what-if moment yet? If Sanders blossoms into a star elsewhere, the Browns could be haunted by this decision for years. Letting go of Coach Prime's son before he even takes a preseason snap may age badly in NFL folklore. Cleveland has a history of watching quarterbacks explode only after they leave town. This move risks adding another ghost to that growing list of regrets. Fans are already whispering that trading Sanders could become 'the one that got away' moment. Stefanski and Co. may survive the heat now — but a breakout season from Sanders elsewhere would sting. The backlash could be brutal if he grows into the superstar many believe he can be. For Cleveland, the real danger isn't this trade itself — it's what happens after. Also read: Travis Kelce's unexpected dating 'dealbreaker'— resurfaced clip sparks fresh Taylor Swift buzz Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Every Browns roster move made since start of training camp
The Cleveland Browns are now wrapping up their second week of training camp, and the back-half of their roster at least looks much different than it did at the start of camp. These micro-transactions have been hard to keep up with in their totality. From players placed on Injured Reserve, to players claimed, players who have retired, and players who have been waived, the Browns have been active churning the bottom of their roster. So let's catch up on every roster move the team has made since the start of camp. Here is the full transaction log from the Browns' roster activity since the start of camp: 7/22/2025 DT Mike Hall Jr. and QB Deshaun Watson placed on PUP list WR David Bell placed on active/non-football injury list WR Jaelen Gill waived (news) 7/23/2025 Browns claim DE K.J. Henry off waivers from Washington Commanders (news) 7/25/2025 Browns place LB Jordan Hicks on reserved/retired list (news) Browns sign WR Winston Wright (news) 7/28/2025 Browns sign UFL RB Toa Taua (news) 7/29/2025 Browns sign C Bucky Williams, waive C Brady Latham (news) 7/30/2025 Browns place CB Martin Emerson Jr. on season-ending IR, waive WR Mike Woods II with an injury designation (news) 8/1/2025 Browns sign WR Chase Cota and CB Keenan Isaac (news) 8/2/2025 Browns claim OT Sebastian Gutierrez off of waivers from the San Francisco 49ers (news)
Fox News
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Tony Buzbee, attorney who represented Shannon Sharpe's rape accuser, takes parting shot at Hall of Famer
Tony Buzbee did not expect to be involved in a highly-publicized case with Shannon Sharpe, but when the opportunity came calling, he jumped on board. The football Hall of Famer-turned-national television star was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery. He was also accused of engaging "in the intentional infliction of emotional distress," and his accuser was seeking $50 million in damages. The situation got ugly, with Sharpe calling the allegations a "shakedown," while he and his legal team released sexually explicit messages that the woman had allegedly sent him. The parties settled last month, and Buzbee said that "both sides acknowledge[d] a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship." However, upon Sharpe being let go of ESPN as part of the case's aftermath, Buzbee took one more half-hearted shot at the former tight end. "I didn't wake up one morning and say, 'I want to sue Shannon Sharpe.' He has no relevance in my life," Buzbee told Esquire. "I actually think he's very entertaining when he yells and screams and talks about sports that he's not involved in. But if I think it's a legitimate case, then I pursue it. And I think this is worth my time." Buzbee represented two dozen of the women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault, and all but one of those cases ended in a settlement. Buzbee also represented the woman who accused Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs of assault when she was just 13. Those charges were dropped, and Jay-Z is now suing a woman and Buzbee. Sharpe accused Buzbee of targeting Black men, but Buzbee dismissed such a notion. "I guess a bunch of old White men could say I'm targeting them, and a bunch of multinational corporations could say I'm targeting them as well … I guess you could say I was targeting BP," he said, regarding his lawsuit against the oil company. "If I think it's a legitimate case, then I pursue it." Sharpe said that he "really enjoyed" his abbreviated stint at ESPN, where he appeared on "First Take." "I really enjoyed my time at ESPN. It gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. They saw me, you know, 'Lakers in 5' and they saw me say all these funny, these analogies that my grandparents gave me. And I was able to bring that to ESPN, so I'm very, very grateful for that."
