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“Deshaun Watson is broken and the backups are not good. So, what can Cleveland do now?”

Before the 2023 season even began, in fact, the whispers began in training camp, that the Cleveland Browns have a very good roster this year.

The speculation was the easy part. Playing the actual games is the tough get-going and where men become men on a mission.

Currently, Cleveland is 4-2-0 with 11 games remaining on the schedule. Can the Browns at season’s end claim one of the playoff spots? Is it possible this roster can go deep into the post-season? After getting thumped by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, is a Super Bowl appearance out of reach or even possible?

The issue of quarterback play for the Browns has been raised. It has been documented here on Dawgs By Nature that the position of quarterback is at critical mass.

RELATED: THE BROWNS HAVE A QUARTERBACK PROBLEM

DBN staff writer Thomas Moore stated in this deep dive regarding the QB problem, “Deshaun Watson is broken and the backups are not good. So, what can Cleveland do now?”

Watson played in Sunday’s 39-38 shootout victory against the Indianapolis Colts but became injured. He was questionable all week prior with a shoulder injury and then left the game in the first quarter after taking a hard hit on the artificial surface. After clearing concussion protocol, Watson never returned.

As the game rolled along and Watson did not return, it appeared that head coach Kevin Stefanski was being cautious and looking forward to the next game against the Seattle Seahawks. That would be strange if indeed true. He was cleared from his shoulder injury weeks ago and yet did not play the next two games. And now, he didn’t develop a new injury and sat out? For his safety?

His backup, P.J. Walker, played his second game in a row and won his second consecutive game. Walker played fair and at times looked pretty good while other times was awful. He did drive Cleveland down in the final minutes to set up the go-ahead touchdown. However, two questionable defensive penalties were the catalyst to place the Browns in a scoring position plus negated a Colts fumble recovery which certainly helped Cleveland in the win but wasn’t a result of Walker getting the team in a position to win the game.

Walker’s backup is rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson who was the darling of the preseason. In fact, he looked so promising that GM Andrew Berry shipped off Watson’s backup Josh Dobbs to Arizona for a low draft pick. Now, the Browns need Dobbs.

So as Moore’s article states:

“So, what are the options if general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski can’t live with the idea of Walker or Thompson-Robinson being one Watson hit away from seeing the field?”

Watson is slated to be the answer. Back in May, DBN went in depth about the possibility of the franchise’s fate if Watson were to become injured and forced to miss games.

LINK: WHAT HAPPENS IF DESHAUN WATSON DOES NOT REGAIN HIS 3-TIME PRO BOWL FORM?

Since Berry was hired to be Cleveland’s GM in 2020, he has always prepared for the eventuality of when the quarterback would be injured and miss snaps or even games. QB Baker Mayfield was the first overall pick in the draft and yet Berry inked veteran Case Keenum as his backup. Keenum had 62 NFL starts at the time. With Watson, journeyman Jacoby Brissett was signed to the roster.

But this year? Everyone has already seen the result of what DBN had questioned back in the May roundtable discussion article. Take a moment, click the link, and read it again.

Some highlights from the Watson article that ring true today:

“The Browns are all in on Watson because they have to be. In the AFC you HAVE to get that QB and they paid the price. So if it doesn’t go well, it’s going to be bad for a while.” Matt Wood – DBN Staff

“Honestly, that’s not what I’m afraid of the most. If Watson by chance does not return to the levels of prominence he once displayed, chain reactions will reverberate in every Browns fan’s home after this season.” Marcus Donald – The Mr. Deacon Experience Podcast

“If Watson does not regain his Pro Bowl form and is something more along the lines of being mediocre, then a full tear-down is likely to commence at the start of the 2024 off-season.” EZ Weav – DBN Staff

“I believe Deshaun has “IT” still in him. He was definitely showing improvement after a few games of wiping away the cobwebs. This man has a talent that won’t just go to sleep. This is why we paid so much for him.” Kristy Acuti – Browns Fans Only Facebook fanpage

“Do the Browns need to sign an experienced backup? There is also the issue of if Watson becomes injured. Then what? Are any of these guys quality backups? Can they come in and take control of games and add to the win column until Watson returns?” Barry Shuck – DBN Staff Writer

Cleveland is 27% of the way through Watson’s contract, yet he has essentially not played in 61% of contests. The Browns are going to waste the best years for this roster. Big contracts are due next year with critical positions and yet the quarterback situation is not solved. Watson has played in 10 games since being signed to his monster contract, but how many actual games of that number has he been really, really good and looked like a franchise quarterback?

The defense this year is killer. A mediocre offense is all that is needed for this defense to control games as well as time of possession.