The Cleveland Browns expect Deshaun Watson to have a strong season when he returns from injury next season, but they will also add some extra insurance.
Watson was only available for six games last season. He had two separate shoulder injuries, the second of which forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Watson shattered a bone in his shoulder against the Baltimore Ravens on November 12 and needed surgery.
With Watson out, the Browns realized the importance of having a good backup quarterback. PJ Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jeff Driskel, and Joe Flacco all got a start.
Watson is expected to be ready to go at the start of next season, while Thompson-Robinson will return for his second year. According to general manager Andrew Berry, the Browns plan to carry three quarterbacks next season.
“In terms of the quarterback room, we’ve always valued the quarterback position and I think probably if you look at our history over the last four seasons, we’ve always been towards the top of the league in backup quarterback expenditures or resources,” Berry told reporters on Monday, the 22nd of January. “Whether it was Case (Keenum) the first two years, obviously Jacoby (Brisset) last year, and now (Josh) Dobbs and Dorian. So I believe that backup quarterback is a top 30 position on the roster, and we do believe in carrying three, which we will most likely do moving forward.”
The Browns’ simplest approach would be to bring Flacco back next season as Watson’s backup. Flacco was 4-1 in five regular-season starts, helping the Browns secure a postseason spot.
Flacco was the season’s feel-good story, but the 39-year-old left with a thud. He threw two interceptions that were returned for scores in Cleveland’s 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round.
Despite his struggles in the playoffs, Flacco revived the Browns’ offense. In total, he threw for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, with a quarterback rating of 90.2.
The Browns are open to bringing back Flacco, but Berry recognized that there are several elements at play.
“We’d love to have Joe back. He’s a talented quarterback, but maybe a little bit like Jacoby [Brissett] last year, depending, right?” Berry stated. “I want to bring all of our good players back, but there are constraints to that on really kind of both sides of the aisle, but would have no problem having Joe back.”
Berry stated that he has given “zero consideration” to the possibility that bringing Flacco back will cause any kind of animosity in the quarterback room.
Cleveland traded three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. Following the transfer, the Browns paid him to a historic $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
Watson has played 12 games for the Browns over the past two seasons. He missed the most of the 2022-23 season while serving an 11-game ban. The Browns appear to be in for a difficult situation right now.
“We’d all love to have him on the field more often,” Berry told reporters. “I think that’s safe to say, himself included.”
However, Berry did not focus on this topic. He also mentioned that he believes Watson’s finest days in Cleveland are ahead of him.
“I do feel really good about him, happy with the progress that he’s made within our organization, both on the field and off the field,” Berry said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing him back next year. We believe he’ll have a great year and have a lot of faith in him as our starting quarterback.”
Watson is 8-4 overall as a starter in Cleveland. He has thrown for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Leave a Reply