The swing and miss the Cleveland Browns played with Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed deal in 2022 still haunts General Manager Andrew Berry. The quarterback was thought to be the answer to their decade-long franchise quarterback question. Instead, he continues to be a gift that keeps on giving…

Not the type Berry would like, at least. So, when the GM promised that the Browns stood in a good cap situation before free agency on March 11, he had to make a decision he hoped would be for the final time.

On Friday, the team restructured Deshaun Watson’s contract to lower his $80.716 million cap charge. Watson’s cap hit was the highest in the NFL for 2026, taking up 24.8 percent of the total cap space. However, now it is reduced to $44 million, and he’ll be on the team’s payroll at least till 2030. But the decision helps the Browns in many ways.

Watson now has a base salary of $ 1.3 million, down from the original $46 million. $43.656 million of his payday now comes as a signing bonus. Add another $1.3 million guaranteed money, and this move gives Cleveland about $36 million in cap space. The Browns were around $17.1 million over the cap until Thursday. Now, they are compliant for the start of the league year and flexible to sign free agents, especially on the offensive side of the ball, which remains their priority. Before that, though, they have more tricks up their sleeve.

There’s been enough speculation about cornerback Denzel Ward’s immediate future with the team. However, the Pro Bowler is not going anywhere. Further, the team will also consider reworking his deal, as he currently carries the team’s second-highest 2026 cap charge at $32.9 million. If successful, the team will clear an additional $13.5 million in cap space.

With the restructures, the team can now land impact veteran players for their key positional needs like interior offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, defensive back, and linebacker. Meanwhile, although their QB room is just as twisted as it was last year, first-year head coach Todd Monken has still announced it as an open QB competition for one key reason.

Todd Monken puts his trust in veteran Deshaun Watson

Speaking of Watson’s return to the playing squad, new head coach Todd Monken hinted at keeping the door open for the QB. While General Manager Andrew Berry praised Watson’s offseason drive.

“We believe in competition at every spot,” Berry said at the NFL Combine. “That’s no different than quarterback. Deshaun’s been working really hard. He’s been working his tail off.”

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However, Monken took it one step further:

“Anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skill set at an elite level,” Monken said previously, “I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again, and I think that’s how you should look at every player.”

Back in 2022, the Browns pulled off one of the worst NFL trades in league history when they sent six draft picks, including three first-round selections, to the Texans in exchange for Watson.

The franchise pulled off the trade when Watson was surrounded by legal troubles, as he was facing multiple lawsuits for s—– misconduct. At the time of the trade, the Browns’ front office had complete faith in their newly signed QB. However, three years later, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that the move came with a huge disappointment.

“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam told the reporters during the NFL owners’ meeting in Florida (2025).

“We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. We’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. [The trade] was an entire organization decision, and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”

The Browns remain loyal to the veteran.

In December 2025, they opened the 21-day practice window for Watson, but after three weeks of limited participation, he went back to the physically unable to perform list. If the reports are to be believed, Watson will be fully cleared for the start of the team’s formal offseason program in April. As such, Shedeur Sanders is back to square one, fighting to keep his QB1 position after showing spurts of potential in his starts.

For now, Cleveland has the flexibility to add veteran free agents heading into the new league year. But the bigger question for this franchise isn’t who arrives in free agency. Rather, it’s who might come calling in April’s draft.

A new name at the top of Cleveland’s board: Ty Simpson

On the same day Cleveland cleared Watson’s cap burden, the Browns hosted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson for a Top 30 pre-draft visit. Simpson is widely regarded as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Simpson threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns as Alabama’s starter in 2025. He had already met with the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New York Jets at the NFL Combine before heading to Cleveland.

Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has already left quite the impression on Simpson, but the Browns could also make a strong case for him.

Simpson reportedly has known Browns head coach Todd Monken for years now as a family friend. Additionally, Cleveland holds picks at Nos. 6 and 24 (first-rounders), and No. 39 (a second-rounder) in the 2026 draft, giving them multiple windows to land a franchise signal-caller.

Their QB room also holds Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel alongside Watson. Sanders and Gabriel both saw action as rookies last season, but still require considerable time and reps to develop into reliable starters. Meanwhile, Gabriel is lagging behind the most.

Alongside Simpson, Cleveland also hosted Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate for a Top 30 visit, underscoring the team’s aggressive draft approach on offense. Watson, meanwhile, continues to work on his intense training to win the starting job once the OTAs and other offseason programs begin.

Cleveland’s Friday was a study in parallel planning. They’ve restructured the past while scouting for the future. Deshaun Watson’s contract has been patched four times now, and each time the Browns have tried to push forward. Whether the next chapter runs through Ty Simpson or someone else, it looks like Cleveland is finally done standing still.