Browns Owner Calls Deshaun Watson Trade 'Big Swing And A Miss'

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is finally admitting what the Dawg Pound has been saying for years -- the trade for Deshaun Watson was nothing short of a disaster ... calling it a "big swing and a miss" on his part.

Haslam spoke about the 2022 transaction with reporters on Monday ... and he bluntly confessed it hasn't worked out for the organization like he had hoped -- which will shock no one.

"We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun," Haslam said, according to Mary Kay Cabot. "We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole."

Haslam didn't take shots at Cleveland's front office for the move, though ... as he said he and his wife, fellow Browns owner Dee, need to be held accountable.

The Browns traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for Watson ... and he's played in just 19 games for the franchise due to a lengthy suspension related to his sexual misconduct allegations and several injuries.

The Orange and Brown hold the second pick in the upcoming NFL Draft ... but Haslam said he's not going to force anything in the quarterback department -- despite big names like Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and more in this year's class.