Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Deshaun Watson going to the Cleveland Browns will impact the AFC North race considerably.
The AFC North just got even more compelling with Deshaun Watson waiving his no-trade clause to come to the Cleveland Browns.
Watson had initially crossed the Browns off the list as a potential trade destination for the former Houston Texans franchise quarterback. His camp removed the Carolina Panthers from the equation shortly thereafter. While it seemed like he was going to either the Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints, he got the bag from the Browns and set all of social media completely on fire.
The AFC North has just become all the more compelling upon Watson’s arrival into the division.
AFC North betting odds after Deshaun Watson trade
While the betting odds are being recalibrated by WynnBET and are currently off the board (these will be updated once they go live), here is a glimpse at what they looked like before the trade.
- Cincinnati Bengals: +175
- Baltimore Ravens: +175
- Cleveland Browns: +330
- Pittsburgh Steelers: +650
The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a division title and a miraculous run to the Super Bowl. They have Joe Burrow entering year three out of LSU. As long as he stays healthy, the Bengals are expected to be a contender in the AFC for years to come. As far as the other three teams are concerned, they are looking to knock the Bengals down a peg in a highly-contested divisional race.
The Baltimore Ravens still have Lamar Jackson under center but did not make the AFC playoffs a year ago. While Cleveland looks to move Baker Mayfield in short order, the Browns go from a borderline playoff team to a real threat in the AFC North. As far as the Pittsburgh Steelers are concerned, they have the worst starting quarterback in Mitch Trubisky, so good luck with that.
The creme de la creme of the AFC just got even more interesting after the Watson trade to Cleveland.