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The arrival of Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns had an immediate impact on the team and major bookmakers in Las Vegas, where the organization was among the favorites to win Super Bowl 57.
After announcing that the Browns acquired the controversial quarterback from the Houston Texans, the betting figures skyrocketed from a +4000 to a +1700, some even placed them at +1400.
This last figure, which is positioned in recognized places such as DraftKings or PointsBet, represent 360-degree turn to what was expected of Cleveland in 2022.
Prior to Watson’s arrival, the Browns were the sixteenth favorite team to win the Super Bowl alongside the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders. However, now with the +1400 they are in seventh place tied with the Denver Broncos, who also changed their quarterback during the last few weeks by acquiring Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
According to the portal oddschecker.com, bettors are very excited about Watson. An instance of this is that, since the news broke, 45.8% of the bets made have been aimed at a possible triumph of the Cleveland Browns in the Super Bowl. That leaves the Broncos far behind, who have taken 5.1% of these bets.
In general, the favorites to become champions of the 2022 NFL season are the Buffalo Bills with +650. Then, the Buffalo Bills are followed by the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with +800, the Green Bay Packers with +1000, the current champions Los Angeles Rams with +1100, and then the Broncos and the Browns.
Cleveland Browns Also Command AFC North
The arrival of Deshaun Watson to the team not only represented an increase in the Browns’ chances of winning the Super Bowl, but also places them as the favorites to take the crown of the very complicated AFC North.
The quarterback’s impact has been so noticeable that the Cleveland Browns have relegated the Cincinnati Bengals, the reigning conference champions, to second place in the betting. After being at +330, Cleveland is now the favorite with +170, while Cincinnati and the tricky Ravens are tied at +220. The last place is occupied by a lagging Pittsburgh Steelers, who register a high +1000 in bets.
However, there are other data that leave Watson’s movement in the background. For example, when Tom Brady returned from his retirement, 87.4% of the bets went to the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl. When Wilson’s trade took place, 78.6% of the bets went to the Broncos. Meanwhile, the Browns have only seen 45.8%, so despite remaining the heavy favorites in betting, the acquisition of Watson is nowhere near matching the betting impact that other quarterbacks have generated this offseason.
