CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from the Thursday, May 19, 2022, episode of The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
The Cleveland Browns' decision to acquire Deshaun Watson was a polarizing one -- for multiple reasons.
But when it comes to the decision to move on from their former starter, Baker Mayfield, one of the Browns' chief rivals understands why they did so.
Appearing on the "Full Send Podcast," Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow discussed the state of the quarterback position in the AFC North. And in doing so, the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft said that while he's a fan of Mayfield's, Cleveland's acquisition of Watson was justified.
“When you have a guy like Deshaun, you have to take a chance at that because he’s such a great player,” Burrow said.
Burrow's comment, however, wasn't intended to be a slight toward Mayfield. Far from it.
Rather, the LSU product went above and beyond to praise Mayfield, even noting that he has yet to beat his fellow Heisman Trophy winner and former No. 1 overall pick through his first two seasons in the NFL. And while Mayfield's future is murky, with Cleveland having thus been unable to trade the Oklahoma product, Burrow said he's confident that brighter days for him are ahead.
"Baker will land on his feet. He's a really good player," Burrow said, before later elaborating: "That's a tough situation. He was hurt all last year. Every time we play him, he balls. First time we played him -- Thursday night during Week 2 of my rookie year -- we lost like 34-30. The next time we played them, I throw for 400 yards. He goes like 25-for-28 with five touchdowns. He went on a two-minute drive, touchdown, they won the game."
Nevertheless, Cleveland is moving forward with Watson, who is currently being investigated by the NFL for accusations of sexual misconduct from 22 women in the Houston area. While Watson has not been criminally charged, he is currently facing civil lawsuits and could be punished by the NFL based on the findings of its investigation.