Cleveland Browns' continued rise hinges on Deshaun Watson

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BEREA, Ohio - Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was among the first to exit the visitors' locker room in Houston. He pushed his hand through his hair as he walked through the Texans' stadium tunnel with his son-in-law, team executive vice president JW Johnson.

It had been nearly two years since the Browns had sent Houston three first-round draft picks for quarterback Deshaun Watson. As part of the blockbuster trade, Haslam then gave Watson a five-year contract extension worth an NFL record $230 million fully guaranteed. The Texans were rebuilding. Cleveland was pushing its chips in to make a run to its first ever Super Bowl. Yet here in the wild-card round of…