Here's a terrifying thought: What if the Cleveland Browns hadn't swooped in to steal Deshaun Watson from the Atlanta Falcons?
To put it lightly, the Falcons wouldn't be in a good position. Let's take a deep look at what things would look like.
Falcons' on-field results wouldn't have been much different
The Falcons have struggled at the quarterback position, and the Browns have struggled at the quarterback position. It is that simple.
There wouldn't have been a big difference in the win-loss column if Watson had donned red and black these past few seasons.
With Cleveland, Watson has a .474 winning percentage (9-10 record). The Falcons have a .431 win% (22-29) over that same time span.
Falcons would've moved on from Deshaun Watson by now
Watson wanted to play for his hometown Falcons, but he couldn't turn down the Browns' fully guaranteed offer.
The Falcons weren't willing to take that risk, so things wouldn't have been quite as catastrophic as they have been in Cleveland.
Terry Fontenot would've had more flexibility to move on from Watson, and they would've by now.
Falcons would be down a number of superstars
To acquire Watson, the Browns sent the Houston Texans a first-round pick in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and a third-rounder in 2023 and fourth-rounders in 2022 and 2024.
You forget just how much they gave up.
Let's assume the Falcons would've given up the same capital; these picks never would've happened:
- Drake London (2022 - Rd. 1, Pk. 8)
- Bijan Robinson (2023 - Rd. 1, Pk. 8)
- Zach Harrison (2023 - Rd. 3, Pk. 75)
- Michael Penix Jr. (2024 - Rd. 1, Pk. 8)
- Brandon Dorlus (2024 - Rd. 4, Pk. 109)
The 2022 fourth-rounder was used to trade up for Arnold Ebiketie in the second round, so you could add him to the list.
That trade would've been deadly...
You lose your two best offensive playmakers and a quarterback on a rookie contract who is already better than Watson.
The Falcons would also be down two versatile defensive linemen, Dorlus and Harrison, and an improving edge rusher in Ebiketie.
As a trade was being finalized, there were rumors that A.J. Terrell was included in the deal.
None of this is fluid; there is no way to tell what exactly would've happened. However, everything tells us that the Falcons would've deeply regretted the trade, so thank you, Cleveland Browns! You saved us from Watson and landed us Julio Jones!