The Cleveland Browns had their improbable run cut short on Saturday, falling to the Houston Texans by a final score of 45-14. The game was still in reach early in the third quarter, but Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pick-6 on back to back possessions that put Houston ahead for good, sending the Browns packing for the year.

Watson Will Be The Starting Quarterback For The Browns

Kevin Stefanski says that Deshaun Watson will be Cleveland’s starting QB going into the offseason. Stefanski says Watson should be ready to go again from his right shoulder surgery sometime in the spring. #Browns

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) January 14, 2024

While it was Flacco’s magic that helped fuel their late-season surge, the team will be going back to their $230 million man.

In one of his exit interviews on Sunday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Deshaun Watson will be Cleveland’s starting quarterback going into the off-season, and said that the injured quarterback should be fully healed and ready to go sometime in the spring.

The Watson experiment has been a failure so far for the Browns. They took a leap in March 2022 when they signed the polarizing quarterback who was dealing with off-field issues, and handed him $230 million guaranteed, the most guaranteed money given to any player in NFL history.

Struggles For Watson Over First Two Seasons In Cleveland

The Browns finished the season allowing only 13.9 points per game at home, compared with 31.3 points per game on the road. That differential (17.4) is the largest of any team since the 1982 Bills, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Cleveland went 8-1 at home and 3-6 on the road this year.

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) January 14, 2024

After serving an 11-game suspension to begin his time in Cleveland, Watson was shaky upon returning. He had a sub-60 completion percentage and threw for 184 yards per game, and finished with 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions as the Browns went 3-3.

The team, coaching staff, and fans were hoping that it was rust that he was shaking off and needed some time to adjust to his new team. And while things improved for Watson statistically in 2023, it was only slightly. The Browns were winning, as the team went 5-1 in games that he started this past season, but it was thanks in large part to their defense. The quarterback improved his completion percentage, but still threw just 7 touchdowns against 4 interceptions.

The Browns went through a quarterback carousel throughout the second half of the season when Watson went down with an injury, which ended with Flacco leading the team to the postseason. The 38-year-old was 4-1 in his five starts for Cleveland, throwing for 300+ yards in each of the final four.

The Browns finished with 11 wins for the first time since 2020, and just the second time since 1994.