Why Would J.J. Watt Want to Play For the Browns?
J.J. Watt was a conversation for the Cleveland Browns before his release, when it might have required a trade to acquire future Hall of Fame defensive end. And there's an argument that it would have been better to trade him to ensure they got him rather than leave it up to a free agent sales pitch, so why would Watt want to play for the Browns?
Much is being made of the idea that Watt would want to go play with his brothers T.J. and Derek in Pittsburgh with the Steelers, but that would require miraculous manipulation of the salary cap.
The Steelers are set to lose countless players this offseason including left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner and edge rusher Bud Dupree to free agency as well as center Maurkice Pouncey to retirement. They will likely cut cornerback Joe Haden to save money and the looming decision of how they restructure Ben Roethlisberger's contract hangs over everything.
If J.J.'s goal is to win the Super Bowl, the Steelers aren't the place to do it. They are in a rebuild. The Steelers know it and at some point everyone else will catch up to that reality.
But why the Browns?
The Browns are coming off an 11-5 season in which they were able to win a road playoff game despite missing players and coaches due to COVID-19. Kevin Stefanski was just recognized as the Coach of the Year Award as voted by the Associated Press and the team is still in a position to add talent despite the salary cap limitations presented by the pandemic.
The Browns need to create money to facilitate a move like signing Watt, but they have multiple avenues to do it. They could trade one of their bigger contracts like their top two receivers, but even if they just rework deals from players like Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Sheldon Richardson and Case Keenum (likely extending both Richardson and Keenum another year in the process), they could find a good amount of money to bring in another impact player like Watt.
Baker Mayfield was fantastic in the final 12 games of the season including both postseason games and the offense can continue to improve. He looks up to the task of winning a Super Bowl, which is likely going to be critical in the decision Watt makes.
Defensively, Watt needs look no further than Myles Garrett. He has never played with anyone as good as Garrett. Even when he was playing with Jadeveon Clowney, he was never as good as Garrett is now. Garrett is also a great teammate and leader, something no one has ever accused Clowney.
And because they have Garrett as well as players like Sheldon Richardson and Adrian Clayborn as well as young players like Jordan Elliott, the Browns don't need Watt to carry the team. They should also be getting Andrew Billings back in 2021 after he opted out in 2020.
Watt played 91.4 percent of the Texans defensive snaps in 2020, which is both impressive and ridiculous. The Browns should be able to reduce that number significantly to save Watt for the postseason as well as just keep him fresh to maximize the high quality reps he can offer.
Undoubtedly, Watt would spend much of his time at defensive end opposite Garrett, providing a ridiculous set of edge defenders, but the Browns would provide him the flexibility to slide inside to find favorable matchups, especially when Clayborn comes into the game. Watt should face far fewer double teams and produce the best season he's had in years on the stat sheet.
The Browns ability to create situations for him to be a playmaker might be an exciting prospect. Opposing offenses have been keying on him for so long that having Garrett take away some of the attention could be exciting, something he's never experienced in his career.
Given that both Mayfield and Garrett spend their share of time in Texas, it would be pretty easy for them to arrange time to go visit Watt and do a little recruiting.
Watt's numbers have stayed impressive despite being the only real threat the Texans have had. Much is made of the lowered sack numbers, but he had 16 tackles for loss in 2020, which accounts for 20.5 percent of the team total. Even the 5 sacks he had were still 14.7 percent of the team's 34 as a team.
The Browns found out firsthand how difficult Watt still is to deal with when the rest of the defense is largely non-existent when the teams faced off in Cleveland this season. On the Browns defensive line, his numbers should be even more impressive.
If the weather in Pittsburgh wasn't a concern, it wouldn't be in Cleveland for the former Wisconsin Badger. Speaking of Wisconsin, the Browns might have their own Badger legend who knows Watt that may try to make the case Cleveland in the form of Joe Thomas.
And with the Steelers set to take a major step backward, the path to making the postseason will be less difficult, even if their schedule will be more challenging next season. The AFC North crown will likely come down to the Baltimore Ravens and Browns and whoever doesn't win it will almost certainly get a wildcard berth.
A viable path to the postseason is obviously an important first step winning the Super Bowl. The Browns, yes, the Browns, may be one of the safer bets to make the playoffs in 2021.
Much will depend on what Watt wants for a salary, even if he understands he needs to take less to pursue a championship. He's still one of the best defensive ends in the NFL and if he creates a bidding war, because his services are so valuable, it could cause a team like the Browns to balk.
That doesn't change the fact that signing Watt to a two-year deal could put the Browns a major step closer to capturing a Super Bowl and allow the Browns to focus most of their attention on improving their secondary.
It's anyone's guess where Watt will decide to sign, but the Browns have a fantastic case to make to him or any other impact free agent this offseason.
