Where do the Browns rank in the J.J. Watt sweepstakes?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Two weeks ago when Deshaun Watson informed the Houston Texans that he wanted to be traded, a debate raged for 48 hours about whether the Browns should make a pitch for the young quarterback. It was a classic example of a red herring – a distraction to what the Browns really needed to do.

The player the Browns should be interested in, I argued, was defensive lineman J.J. Watt, not Watson.

I wrote the Browns should make a proactive trade offer for Watt. It was fairly obvious that Watt’s time with the dysfunctional Texans was over. I was told by a source that Watt would soon ask for his release. I felt if the Browns could interest the Texans in a draft choice for Watt, they could avoid a competition for his much-needed services.

Sure enough, Watt did meet with the Texans and the franchise granted the future Hall of Famer his wish.

So now Watt is free to find a new team. That process reportedly will begin in earnest this week. Ed Werder of ESPN reported the Browns were among “approximately a dozen teams” to express interest in Watt immediately after he was released.

The key to Watt’s decision is how he wants to end his career. Does he want to simply finish up by teaming up with his brothers – T.J. and Derek – for the first time in their careers? Does he want one final payday? Or does he want to compete for a championship?

Only he knows what he wants.

Watt will be 32 when the 2021 season begins. He has suffered major injuries in three of the last five years. But he was healthy enough last season to lead all defensive linemen with 1,013 snaps on defense. The Browns leader in the category was Olivier Vernon with 804. Myles Garrett, who missed two games after contracting Covid-19 and then playing through its after-effects, played 758 snaps.

Whomever invests in Watt will want to decrease his snaps to increase his production. Less of Watt should equate to more quality snaps.

When defensive tackle Reggie White joined the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 1993 at the age of 32, he did not have the injury history of Watt. White would play six seasons with the Packers, missing only one game in that time. White was placed on the expansion draft list when the Browns returned as an expansion team in February of 1999. He spent that season out of football and unretired the following year. White turned in 5.5 sacks for the Carolina Panthers in 2000 at the age of 39.

I see Watt capable of making an impact for two more seasons, if he can stay healthy and be used smartly. Any contract Watt is offered – no matter the artificial length – would essentially be a two-year deal, after which the new team could walk away without salary cap ramifications. As far as defensive systems go, Watt can fit anywhere because of his versatility to play inside or outside.

So which teams are the best fits for Watt?

Here is my list, from worst to best.

11. Seattle Seahawks

In Russell Wilson, they have the No. 1 prerequisite for a Super Bowl run – a franchise quarterback who never misses games and always wins. But Wilson’s recent comments critical of the organization for not investing in offensive line protection suggests that there could be trouble ahead. Their defense has not recovered from the implosion of the Legion of Boom following the 2017 season. The Seahawks have made the post-season in eight of Wilson’s nine seasons and there is no reason to believe that will stop – unless the fissure recently created opens into a crater.

10. Tennessee Titans

The big attraction here is Watt’s affection for Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who was a Houston assistant coach in two of Watt’s three defensive player-of-the-year seasons (2014 and 2015). The Titans made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 but were one-and-done in 2020 because of a significant drop-off on defense. Watt alone would not lift them back into contention, but he would help. Still, the Ryan Tannehill-Derrick Henry window is closing.

9. Indianapolis Colts

As with the Titans, joining the Colts would keep Watt in his familiar AFC South division and afford him the chance to pummel his former team twice a year. The thought of playing alongside DeForest Buckner on the Colts’ defensive front has to be appealing. But the Colts don’t have a quarterback right now, and the reported favorite to take over the team, Carson Wentz, doesn’t evoke Super Bowl hopes.

8. Baltimore Ravens

A reunion with former Houston position coach Anthony Weaver might appeal to Watt. The Ravens frequently reach for high-profile veterans to fill roles on defense. Despite a 1-3 post-season record in three years of the Lamar Jackson era, the Ravens figure to open the 2021 season as favorites to win the AFC North. They should be Super Bowl-competitive for the foreseeable future.

7. Kansas City Chiefs

This might be another team for which Watt would lower his salary demands for the sake of picking up a ring. As long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy, the Chiefs will compete for Super Bowls.

6. Cleveland Browns

If Watt would rather continue a sibling rivalry with his brothers in Pittsburgh – they reportedly are legendarily competitive – this would be the team for him. Lining up opposite Myles Garrett on early downs and next to him on passing downs would give Watt impact opportunities galore. The Browns are poised to compete for Super Bowls over the next two years with Baker Mayfield still under his rookie contract (even if the team signs him to an extension that would take effect in 2023).

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

The only thing the Steelers offer is a rest home for Watt to finish his career as teammates with younger brothers T.J. and Derek. No other team can compete with that. The Steelers have so many other dire needs that the only reason to pursue him would be to fulfill the Watt family’s wish. Signing Watt wouldn’t help the Steelers compete for a championship in Ben Roethlisberger’s expected last season as quarterback; it would impede it. Even if Watt agreed to the NFL minimum salary, he would eat up dollars that could be spent on filling holes at offensive line, running back, outside linebacker and cornerback.

4. Buffalo Bills

With still-improving quarterback Josh Allen at the helm, the Bills have the momentum of successive playoff seasons pushing them onward. They have conquered the New England Patriots as champions of the AFC East and figure to open the 2021 season as the most likely team to unseat the Chiefs as AFC champions. Their path to the Super Bowl in the next two years seems clear.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

They roped in Ndamukong Suh with a one-year contract for $8 million at the age of 33 and won the Super Bowl. Certainly, they can plug in Watt in similar fashion. The attraction of playing with Tom Brady would be hard for Watt to resist.

2. Los Angeles Rams

The Bucs went all-in last season with key veteran acquisitions to become the first franchise to reach the Super Bowl in its home stadium. With the trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford at the expense of two future No. 1 draft picks, the Rams are aiming to do the same. Super Bowl 56 is scheduled for the Rams’ SoFi Stadium. They expect to be in that game. Positioning Watt next to Aaron Donald on the Rams’ defensive front undeniably would help that cause.

1. Green Bay Packers

This fit is a natural and makes the Packers prohibitive favorites. Watt starred at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and grew up two hours south of Green Bay. He has spoken wistfully in the past of playing for the Packers. Not even Aaron Rodgers could gripe if the Packers stepped out of recent character and lured the highest-profile free agent on the market to Green Bay. The only problem is manipulating their salary cap to squeeze him under. They began that process by restructuring the contract of left tackle David Bakhtiari, a move that pushes massive charges forward and tips off their intentions to accommodate Watt.