The Cleveland Browns may not need Deshaun Watson to be a great player to succeed in 2024. In fact, they may not require Watson to be anything at all.
Over the last two years, two quarterbacks other than Watson have performed better for the franchise: Jacoby Brissett in 2022 and Joe Flacco in 2023. On Friday, February 23, Aaron Schatz of ESPN proposed a “bold move,” in which Cleveland signs one — if not both — to battle for the starting job with Watson this offseason.
In 2022, Brissett had a 62.0 QBR while Watson had a 40.4 QBR. Then, last season, [Flacco] had 48.3 QBR, while Watson had 42.9 QBR.
The Browns need to add competition and a backup plan in case Watson continues to perform poorly in 2024.
Flacco has shown a desire to prolong his career, despite his age (39), and Browns supporters would welcome his return. Brissett’s 2022 numbers stand out in his career, but the Browns might as well sign him to a lesser contract and see if they can recreate the magic. Any of these solutions would at least spare the Browns from wasting another excellent defense due to Watson’s poor play.
Browns Remain Committed to Deshaun Watson as Starter in 2024
Despite Flacco’s late-season heroics, in which he guided the team to a 4-1 record as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs while averaging well over 300 passing yards per game, head coach Kevin Stefanski quickly named Watson the team’s starter heading into the offseason.
“He’s doing great in his rehab,” Stefanski said of Watson on January 14, after the Browns lost to the Houston Texans during Super Wildcard Weekend. “I’m confident he’ll be ready to roll.”
Watson had season-ending surgery to rehabilitate his throwing shoulder in November 2023. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported earlier this week that the quarterback is nearing a significant milestone in his recuperation.
“[Watson] will begin throwing soon, a league source told Cleveland.com,” Cabot said on February 19. “Watson, who only had the fractured glenoid bone repaired and not his strained rotator cuff … returned to the UCLA weight room this week, which is a big step in his comeback bid.”
The Browns cannot afford to waste another year of elite defense on Deshaun Watson’s struggles.
Simple availability has been a problem for Watson during the course of his two years in Cleveland. He missed 11 games in 2022 due to an NFL suspension and 11 more last season due to injuries.
Even when Watson has been on the field, he has not performed exceptionally well. He had a QBR above 62 only once in six starts last year, taking 17 sacks and tossing only 7 touchdown passes to 4 interceptions. Watson completed less than 59% of his passes in four of the six games, according to ESPN.
Despite losing to the Texans in the playoffs, the Browns defense was the best in the NFL in 2023 in terms of average yardage surrendered per game (270.2 yards).
The defense deserves a lot of credit for Watson’s 5-1 record as a starter in 2023, which is why Schatz is arguing for a huge move at quarterback in Cleveland this offseason, even if it means picking another signal-caller in the middle rounds in April.
“Any of these options would at least protect the Browns and keep them from wasting another strong defense with bad play from Watson,” Schatz said in a statement.
