Getty Image / Brooke Sutton
The Cleveland Browns hoped to solve their longstanding quarterback woes when they traded for talented-but-scandal-ridden Deshaun Watson prior to the 2022 NFL Season. The team had been without a true franchise quarterback since its reintroduction
But, over two years have passed since they made the blockbuster deal and signed Deshaun Watson to a huge, fully-guaranteed contract, and the move clearly was the wrong one. The Browns are too talented of a team to allow Deshaun Watson to waste their season with mediocre play, and they should turn to Jameis Winston.
Watson has been worse than mediocre, actually. In fact, the quarterback posted the worst EPA through the first three weeks of the season of any Browns quarterback since their reintroduction in 1999. When you consider the terrible quarterback play the franchise has had, that’s pretty hard to believe. But, that’s how bad he’s been.
Sunday wasn’t a total disaster for Watson, but it wasn’t good, either. The Browns were beaten 20-16 by the Raiders to fall to 1-3. Watson was 24/32 for 176 yards and 1 touchdown with an interception. His QBR was just 36.7, which is a really poor number.
Passing success is down in the NFL, but it’s tough to win getting just 176 yards out of 32 attempts. That’s been the story all year for Watson, who has been unable to hurt teams down the field despite having solid weapons. He has just 727 yards on 148 attempts, for a putrid 4.9 yards per attempt. That’s not going to cut it.
Last year, injuries to Watson and others meant that Joe Flacco ended up being the starting quarterback towards the end of the season. Flacco had numerous 300-yard games for the team down the stretch and helped them make the playoffs. While he’s now in Indianapolis, if the Browns want to save their season they need to see if current Jameis Winston can provide a similar spark. Yes, Winston is inconsistent and turnover prone. But, the former NFL passing yards leader can get the ball down the field. And, he might provide a figure for the team to rally around. They’re certainly not rallying around Deshaun Watson.
The Browns don’t have their Bye Week for quite awhile, so it’s not like they can wait for that. They should make this move as soon as possible and try to save their season.