Texans Releasing J.J. Watt Presenting Browns Unique Opportunity
The Houston Texans have opted to release future hall of fame defensive end J.J. Watt. Watt had made it clear he had no intention of playing another down for the Texans and he had made it uncomfortable enough to where it was clear they were going to move him. It was simply a question of releasing him or trading him.
Watt was set to make $17.5 million in salary this coming season, so if the Texans did move him, he would have had to restructure.
His stated goal at this point is to go after a championship. He was incredibly frustrated with this past year feeling like he was playing for nothing with the end of his career in sight.
For the Browns, trading for Watt would've been the best way to ensure they were able to get them, then try to work out a contract renegotiation. Now, they have to potentially bid against other teams for his services, which is not ideal.
The Browns do have a good argument they can be a Super Bowl contender. They need a defensive end to play opposite Myles Garrett and even though Watt's statistics were down this past year, his impact was not. He's still one of the top defensive ends and would give the Browns another impact player.
So much of this comes down to what Watt wants. Is he still concerned about making the money he can or is he more interested in finding the right fit to pursue his goals while enabling the team he signs with to get additional pieces in search of a Super Bowl.
Watt also has to believe in the Browns enough. Still, with the salary cap estimated to drop significantly, fewer teams will have the space to sign him while being a true contender. The Browns have the ability to create enough cap space that could be the perfect fit for him.
Were they to be able to get Watt, they should still look for depth at defensive end in the draft, but they could focus almost all of their attention on the secondary at that point to get them a good enough defense to win the Super Bowl.
