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Paul DePodesta brought his analytical strategies and expertise to the Cleveland Browns in 2016 when he was named the franchise’s director of strategy.
DePodesta began a new chapter last week when he was named president of baseball operations for the Colorado Rockies.
He is no stranger to MLB, having previously worked for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. DePodesta also spent a few seasons as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Amid his return to an MLB front office, DePodesta reflected on one of the most notable moves he helped orchestrate during his time with the Browns: the blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson.
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Cleveland Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, left, talks with Director and Senior Partner Jimmy Haslam before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 21, 2022, in Cleveland. (Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
Watson has played in just 19 games in the three years since he signed an unprecedented, fully guaranteed $230 million contract shortly after the Houston Texans agreed to send him to Cleveland in 2022. All 32 games Watson missed were due to suspension or injury.
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The decision continues to face criticism, with many seeking to place blame on one or more Browns decision-makers. DePodesta offered some context, recalling the decision to trade for Watson as a collective choice.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, poses for a portrait with general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski during Watson’s introductory press conference March 26, 2022, at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. (Jeff Lange/USA TODAY Network/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
“Here’s what I would say, and I truly believe it,” DePodesta told the Denver Post. “I think most decisions, especially big ones like that, are organizational decisions, right? I don’t believe in the ‘King Scout’ situation where there’s one guy who takes every call… The tasks are too complex, the decisions are too difficult. They impact too many different things. So I always think that those kinds of collective decisions, it can be difficult to get unanimity. [opinions] about this sort of thing. Everyone who was part of it? It belongs to all of us. We do it, it’s part of the deal. »
Paul DePodesta, director of strategy for the Cleveland Browns, walks onto the field before a game at FedEx Field on October 2, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games in 2022, but a shoulder injury shortened the quarterback’s 2023 season. Last October, Watson was sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Watson then re-injured the same tendon in January. The latest setback has sidelined the three-time Pro Bowler for this entire season so far, but Watson has pushed back that timetable.
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“Everyone doubts me. Everyone doesn’t believe in me,” Watson said in a video posted to his Instagram account in April showing him training. “Not everyone thinks I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe in the work that I’ve done, that I believe in myself…I know that I’m going to be a lot better than I was before.”
The 30-year-old added to his comeback argument by saying he had “not much to lose”.
Watson threw 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in a Browns uniform. He finished his five-year stay with the Texans with 104 touchdowns against 36 interceptions.
These impressive numbers were achieved in just four seasons on the football field. Watson was ruled out of every game of the 2021 season following a trade request, which ultimately led to an impasse between the quarterback and the team.
