Even though more than one of their key players has been forced out of action this season, the Cleveland Browns have found ways to win games they likely wouldn’t have won in previous seasons.
They were at it again this past weekend when they overcame a 24-9 second-half deficit to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, whom some feel are the best team in the AFC, on a last-second field goal by Dustin Hopkins.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson played well down the stretch, but his season is now over because of a fractured shoulder he sustained during that game.
ESPN’s Marcus Spears said that the Browns “need to be in the quarterback market” in order to obtain a very reliable backup behind Watson moving forward.
“[The Browns] need to be in the QB market.”@mspears96 thinks the Browns need to strengthen their QB room going forward. pic.twitter.com/2GvYkN8PL3
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 15, 2023
Last season, when Watson served an 11-game suspension, Jacoby Brissett filled in very well, while Josh Dobbs served as Brissett’s backup.
But Cleveland let Dobbs go late in the season, and even after they brought him back this past offseason, they traded him to the Arizona Cardinals in August.
When Watson, who has been banged up for much of this season, has played, he hasn’t looked like the same player who lit up the NFL as a member of the Houston Texans a few years ago.
In six contests this year, he has a 61.4 percent completion rate and has thrown seven touchdown passes and four interceptions, giving him a meager 84.3 passer rating.
The Browns, when healthy, have plenty of potential and look like a very legitimate playoff team, but without adequate quarterback play at a minimum, they will be hard-pressed to reach the postseason.
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Analyst Comments On The ‘Disaster’ Of Browns Losing Deshaun Watson