CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As the Browns head into the offseason, there is no quarterback controversy as to who the starter is.
But there are questions with Deshaun Watson coming off shoulder surgery that ended his season prematurely and led to the Browns using five starting quarterbacks and signing Joe Flacco off the couch to salvage the season.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites concerning Watson and Flacco.
Ready to roll – The expectation is that Watson will be ready to participate during the offseason program at some point this spring after surgery to repair a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his throwing shoulder ended his season. “He’s doing great in rehab,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I’m confident he’ll be ready to roll this spring. He’s chomping at the bit, but he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do when it comes to what the doctors are telling him and as he rehabs through this, but he’ll be ready to roll.” Watson underwent the surgery on November 21 after suffering the injury during a November 12 win over the Ravens in Baltimore. That injury followed a rotator cuff strain that sidelined Watson for three out of four games earlier in the season. “That was disappointing for Deshaun and he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to play more than that,” Stefanski said. “But to lead his team, to play winning football in those games and to play the style that he played and the willing his team to victory there in that second half [at Baltimore]. And then just different moments throughout this season, making plays that are hard to coach. So I’m excited about him getting healthy and we’re excited about getting him back here.”
Small sample size – The frustrating part of the Watson investment of six draft picks, including three first rounders, and $230 million guaranteed is the sample size of playing time. Watson has started just 12 games over two seasons with uneven play. “Deshaun has shown here and throughout his career, he’s a playmaker,” Stefanski said. “He’s made a ton of plays for us and that’s part of his game that we’re so excited about. He put it on display, so getting him healthy, getting him back and in the system and those types of things, he’s excited about it.” In those 12 games Watson started, the Browns never netted 300 yards passing and eclipsed 250 net yards through the air just twice. Watson has yet to have a 300-yard passing game for the Browns either and he’s eclipsed 250 yards in a game just twice. That’s not what the Browns thought they were getting when they made the trade with Houston in March 2022. “There was some really good moments this season,” Stefanski said. “It’s such a small sample size with Deshaun. You had a weather game in there. So I think we all know what he’s capable of. We’re excited about the future.” With Flacco at the helm down the stretch, Cleveland netted more than 300 yards passing and Flacco threw for 300 yards in four consecutive games. Flacco threw 13 touchdowns in five games, one fewer than Watson has thrown in 12 games and Flacco was on a couch in mid-November waiting for his phone to ring. So at some point the crutch of Watson needing to shake off rust following long layoffs has to go away. Stefanski points to the Ravens game in Baltimore that saw a banged-up Watson complete all 13 passes in the second half to rally the Browns to a 33-31 last second victory as to why they believe Watson can and will return to the elite, explosive playmaker they traded for. “I mean [he went] 4-1 as a starter, some really great moments,” Stefanski said. “That second half versus Baltimore is something that I don’t know how many people on Earth can do what he did with the injuries that he had in that second half. So very excited for him. He’s excited. I know he wants to get back healthy, and he is well on his way to doing that.” Left guard Joel Bitonio, who has seen 19 starters roll through since he was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, is a believer in Watson. “He was another one that every time it felt like we were taking a step, he got banged up or hurt. We beat Baltimore – Baltimore at Baltimore with Deshaun,” Bitonio said. “They have a chance. They're still playing. They're playing next week in the divisional game. The Titans game, the Cardinals game, I'm pretty sure he was 4-1 as a starter this year. With our defense, if they play at the level we know and expect them to play to, I feel very confident with Deshaun coming back and being our quarterback.” Optimism aside, the harsh reality for the Browns is the Texans slaughtered them in the playoffs with their new franchise QB in C.J. Stroud after dumping Watson in 2022 and Houston still gets to cash in first and fourth round picks from the Browns in April.
Plenty left in the tank – In addition to helping get the Browns back to the playoffs, Flacco aimed to show he had something left. “He’s talented,” Stefanski said. “He won football games for us. We had multiple guys that have won football games for us. So I believe in all these guys.” Under Flacco, the offense seemed to flow in a way it hasn’t with Watson running it. “I don’t get caught up in style,” Stefanski said. “We concern ourselves with winning football. And I think you saw multiple quarterbacks, and I say that with PJ going in there and Dorian going in there and it’s our job as coaches to adjust to the players and the skill sets of the players and the playing style of the players. So that’s what I think we have to do as coaches, but we’re concerned with winning.” Flacco, who threw for 1,616 yards in five starts, also went 4-1 as the starter while helping the Browns secure their second playoff berth in four years and just the third in 25 seasons in the expansion era.
Run it back – Could Flacco return to back up Watson next season? Could they even co-exist? “I’d leave all those things up to obviously Andrew [Berry] in this offseason,” Stefanski said. “I will say this about Joe. Joe was awesome for this football team. He did a great job. Battled like crazy. I know he enjoyed it. We obviously wish yesterday’s outcome was different, but I have a ton of respect for Joe and what he was able to do.” Linebacker and defensive team captain Anthony Walker thinks Flacco and Watson can coexist. “I am not the general manager or the head coach, but I do believe so,” Walker said. “I think those two, they got along really well. No matter what the media said, not you guys, but they did get along really well. They supported one another and they have that mutual respect for one another. So anytime you have that in any position or group, I think that will make that relationship go.” Running back Kareem Hunt, who tied for the team lead in the regular season with 9 touchdowns, would like to see Flacco return as QB2. “I hope so,” Hunt said. “I mean, Flacco's a great quarterback and a great leader and I feel like Deshaun, he also could probably learn some stuff from him from his years playing and stuff like that too. So I'm excited. If they can be teammates, that'd be really great.” Flacco hasn’t been shy about expressing his desire to play in 2024 and he demonstrated he can. Whether he’d be willing to back Watson up could be a different story. “I think Joe is going to work through everything this offseason as you can imagine, but had a great meeting with Joe,” Stefanski said. “He’s grateful for the opportunity and he’ll work this offseason, see where it lands.”
Futures deals – The Browns signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts Monday: WR Jaelon Darden, CB Vincent Gray, RB John Kelly Jr., TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, T Justin Murray, DE Lonnie Phelps, LB Charlie Thomas III, DE Isaiah Thomas and DT Chris Williams.
