Deshaun Watson (75 Overall) Is The 23rd Rated Madden Quarterback, Behind Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, and Geno Smith
Look I'll be the first to admit that Deshaun Watson has been a Grade A failure for the Cleveland Browns thus far. We traded our 2022, 2023, and 2024 first round picks, along with a 2023 third-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2022 and 2024, all to be allowed to guarantee him $230,000,000.....so he could play 12 games through 2 seasons. It's been horrible, and despite him having a good record in games he started last season, no one with a brain can say he's played well. The fact of the matter is that when Joe Flacco came to the Browns last year because Deshaun Watson was shut down for the year, we got substantially better.
So yeah, I do get why Deshaun might not be the highest rated QB in the game, but a fucking 75? The man was a 90+ not too long ago! Am I wrong that Deshaun Watson has thrown for 4000 yards not once, but twice! A 3x Pro Bowler and he's only 28 years old.....let's not bury the guy just yet. But it appears that's exactly what Madden is doing, burying him behind:
- Baker Mayfield (79 overall) - This is the one that hurts the most....and they're probably right with it, for now. But the fact of the matter is when we talk about all we gave up for Deshaun, it legitimately twists my insides to remember that we could have all of that.....and Baker Mayfield. All he did was led the playoff-starved franchise to the playoffs AND WIN A PLAYOFF GAME IN PITTSBURGH. Don't get me wrong, he had his flaws, but he loved the city and played through pain.
- Geno Smith (78 overall) - Come on man, the best team this guy has ever been on went 9-8. He's thrown for 4000 yards once. And the 7 years before that his high was 702. I'm not saying the guy stinks because he's had back to back solid seasons but if you had the choice of Geno Smith or Deshaun Watson for one year only this year, it's Deshaun.
- Caleb Williams (76 overall) - Get the fuck outta here. Get the absolute fuck outta here. Listen the hype surrounding this guy in this city I live in has gotten too damn high. I want to like him, and I think I still do. And I want the hometown team to be good because it makes everything more fun. But he walks onto the scene after doing literally WHAT last year that makes him already a Top 20 QB in the league? Fraud ranking (for now).
Anyways, I really don't concern myself with EA Sports and their ratings. I know I'm blogging about it but it's mostly because I thought Deshaun was still a pretty clear Top 20 QB. This ranking thing is a big ol' fashioned nothingburger, but I felt it was funny to showcase what the world officially thinks of Deshaun Watson's talent coming into this year. Say what you want about him off the field, he's always been better than the 23rd best QB in the league, right? But we're going to find out and early and often. The Browns defense, line, coach, and skill players are all among the top in the league.....we just need a quarterback.