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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Paul DePodesta brought his analytics strategies and expertise to the Cleveland Browns in 2016 when he was named the franchise's chief strategy officer. DePodesta started a new chapter last week when he was named president of baseball operations for the Colorado Rockies. He has familiarity with the MLB, having previously worked for the then-Cleveland Indians, the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets. DePodesta also spent a few seasons as the Los Angeles Dodgers' general manager. Amid his return to an MLB front office, DePodesta reflected on one of the more notable moves he helped orchestrate during his stint with the Browns – the blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Watson has appeared in just 19 games in the three years since he inked an unprecedented, fully guaranteed $230 million contract shortly after the Houston Texans agreed to send him to Cleveland in 2022. The 32 games Watson missed were due to either suspension or injury. BROWNS' DESHAUN WATSON ADDRESSES CRITICS, VOWS TO RETURN FROM LATEST INJURY 'WAY BETTER THAN BEFORE' The decision continues to face criticism, with many seeking to assign blame to one or more of the Browns’ decision-makers. DePodesta offered some context, recalling the decision to trade for Watson as a collective choice. "Here’s what I would say, and I truly believe this," DePodesta told The Denver Post. "I believe that most of the decisions, especially the big ones like that, are organizational decisions, right? I'm not a believer in the 'King Scout' situation where there is one guy who makes every call… The jobs are too complex, the decisions are too hard. They impact too many different things. So I always think these sort of collective decisions, it can be hard to get unanimous [opinions] on those types of things. Everyone who was a part of that? We all own that. We just do, that's part of the deal." The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games in 2022, but a shoulder injury cut the quarterback's season short in 2023. Last October, Watson was sidelined by a ruptured Achilles tendon. Watson then re-injured the same tendon in January. The latest setback has sidelined the three-time Pro Bowler for all of this season so far, but Watson pushed back against that timetable. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP "Everyone is doubting me. Everyone don't believe in me," Watson said in a video posted to his Instagram account in April showing him working out. "Everyone don't think I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe the work that I put in, that I believe in myself... I know I'm gonna be way better than before." The 30-year-old added to his comeback argument by saying he doesn't "have anything pretty much to lose." Watson has thrown 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in a Browns uniform. He finished his five-year stint with the Texans with 104 touchdowns against 36 interceptions. Those impressive numbers came over just four seasons on the football field. Watson was ruled out of every game during the 2021 season following a trade request, which ultimately led to a standoff between the quarterback and the team.
