Jameis Winston’s resurgence has provided a breath of fresh air to the Browns’ long-suffering fan base, but it sounds like the Deshaun Watson era isn’t entirely over just yet.
According to Albert Breer, the Browns intend to keep coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, while they’ll also look to give Watson another chance next season, albeit with a slightly different approach.
"Until now, the Browns have built a quarterback room to support Watson," Breer said in his weekly takeaways column for Sports Illustrated.
"This year, they'll look, through the draft and/or the veteran market, to add competition to the room. So while the likelihood—because of the injury and the contract—is Watson will be back, the Browns are going to look to do more than just stop-gap the backup spot.”
At 3-8, the Browns showed signs of life last Thursday night in an upset win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, one that showed the future isn’t as bleak as it seemed a month ago when Watson went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
Whether Berry and the Haslam’s choose to trade Nick Chubb remains to be seen, but with Henry Ruggs emerging as a potential mainstay at wide receiver, and the defense still among the league’s best, there’s growing room for optimism in Cleveland.
As for Watson, it sounds like the Browns are all-in on providing him with as much backup support as possible – something they’ve already executed well this season with Winston.
The former Pro Bowler was signed to a one-year deal back in March, and with seven touchdowns and over 1,100 passing yards to his name since taking over the starting job, Browns fans are likely to make their voice heard when it comes time to consider an extension.
Other potential options include Aaron Rodgers, as my colleague Jarrett Bailey wrote. Daniel Jones also comes to mind, although the former Giant figures to go to a team ready to compete for a playoff spot.
If the Browns choose to designate Watson as a post-June 1 release, they’d still be on the hook for $118.9 million in dead money, meaning he was always likely to get another chance next season regardless.
By the sounds of it, the Browns are being proactive in thinking about life post-Watson though, which is about all you could ask for in this less-than-enviable situation.
