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Why The Great Browns Backup Quarterback Debate matters – Terry Pluto
Story by Terry Pluto, cleveland.com
link CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Who cares about the backup quarterback – if Deshaun Watson isn’t healthy, the Browns have no chance to go to the Super Bowl.”
I’ve been hearing that from some fans and media members during Cleveland’s Great Backup Quarterback Debate: Joe Flacco vs. Jameis Winston.
In one sense, it’s probably true. No Watson playing at a Pro Bowl level, no chance of a Super Bowl.
OK, if Watson gets hurt … just cancel the season. Why bother to play any more games?
That seems to be the rationalization.
WHY THE BACKUP QB MATTERS
Browns fans, was the 2023 season fun? That’s a legitimate question.
Sports should be a diversion from real life. Did the Browns allow fans some relief from the daily problems? Was it fascinating to watch coach Kevin Stefanski find a way to win games with four different QBs and make the playoffs with an 11-6 record?
Were the Browns going to the Super Bowl with a parade of Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR), P.J. Walker and Flacco filling in for the injured Watson?
Or course not.
But is that a reason to give up on the season? You know the answer to that.
Watson was 4-1 in games where he played the majority of snaps. The collection of DTR, Walker and Flacco were 7-4.
The Browns lost the final game of the season with a fifth QB – Jeff Driskel. It was a game where they rested the starters as they awaited the playoffs.
My point is the backups were 7-4 in meaningful games without Watson. It’s why they made the playoffs. Flacco was the great QB closer, having a 4-1 record in his final five regular season starts.
WHAT THE TEAM OWES THE FANS
The failure to have a legitimate backup QB is inexcusable, especially when a team is supposed to be a playoff contender. NFL teams charge big money to the fans. It’s their obligation to put a respectable product on the field.
A decent backup QB helps keep fans interested in the team in an era where starting QBs are regularly injured. There were 66 different starting QBs last season, the changes mostly due to injuries.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Browns front office knows Watson is coming off major shoulder surgery. They can be hopeful about him staying healthy, but they must be realistic.
So far, Watson has not been the same player who led the NFL in passing yardage in 2020 as a member of the Houston Texans. That’s a fact.
He’s also only played 12 games over the last three seasons due to a holdout (2021), suspension (11 games in 2022) and injuries (2023).
It took a while in 2023 for the Browns to bring in Flacco, but they did – just in time.
CAN’T REPEAT LAST SEASON
The Browns went into 2023 operating under the assumption Watson would stay healthy. That had been the case from 2018-20 in Houston when he missed only one game.
In his first three years running the Browns, GM Andrew Berry knew he needed a solid backup QB. He had Case Keenum (2020-21) and Jacoby Brissett (2022). You could start those guys and not fear a disaster.
Last season, they had Josh Dobbs and DTR. Right before the opener, they traded Dobbs and a seventh-round pick to Arizona for a 2024 fifth-round pick.
That left them with DTR and Walker as backups. Watson began having rotator cuff problems early in the season. He came back and played. Then hurt his shoulder and was done for the year after the Nov. 12 victory over Baltimore.
The Browns won a game with DTR, two games with Walker and then Flacco arrived.
By signing Winston, Berry returned to his usual business with backup QBs. While not my first choice for the job, Winston is a viable option.
WINSTON THE PERSON
Let’s start with the character issue, and Winston had major problems in this area early in his career. But his last trouble spot was a three-game suspension in 2018 for his conduct with an Uber driver.
I did some research for a column, and Winston has grown into an excellent teammate and a beloved member of the New Orleans community. He is well known for his civic and church activities. It’s an impressive turnaround.
When he joined the Saints in 2020, he came under the influence of Drew Brees. It was part of Winston’s growth as a person.
“I really love Drew Brees like I don’t think he understands,” Winston said when Brees retired in 2021. “I know my wife does and I know my family does. But you don’t understand the impact that him and a lot of other quarterbacks have had on me.”
Brees is a great role model, person and pro. His impact on Winston is obvious.
WINSTON THE PLAYER
I’m more concerned with the football question: Can Winston help the Browns win enough games to make the playoffs if called upon to do so?
Let’s break it down:
1. The Browns are counting on Winston to be the 2021 model. He started the first seven games for New Orleans. The Saints had a 5-2 record. He threw 14 TD passes compared to three interceptions. It was the only time in his career he stayed away from high interception totals.
2. That 2021 season ended after those seven games for Winston, who had ACL knee surgery.
3. In 2022, he opened as a starter, but suffered a foot and back injury in the first three games. Andy Dalton took over as the starter.
4. In 2023, Winston backed up Derek Carr. Winston didn’t start a game in 2023. He was 25 of 47 passing with a pair of TDs and three interceptions.
5. In his last two seasons, Winston has a 1-2 record as a starter. He completed 59% of his passes, with six TDs compared to eight interceptions. Not much to go on.
The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Winston is only 30 years old. Once upon a time, he was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft by Tampa Bay. He has a strong arm, but threw a lot of interceptions. It also was in the poor decision-making period of his life.
His last full season as a starter was 2019, when he had a 7-9 record. Tampa Bay threw it all the time, Winston firing 33 TD passes and 30 interceptions.
I would have preferred Brissett, Flacco or Gardner Minshew for the spot. But I do respect Berry’s track record selecting backups – Flacco, Keenum and Brissett. That’s why I’m very open to seeing if Winston can deliver a winning performance. Watson’s injury history shows why this was an important move for the Browns.
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