Cleveland struggled to find a true franchise Quarterback for a long time. When they selected Baker Mayfield 1st overall in 2018, they thought they had found the solution but that turned out to be not the case. The current regime went all out to trade for Deshaun Watson, who is capable of being this team’s franchise quarterback, since he already proved it in Texas. I want to talk about his outlook for the upcoming season and the backup situation, which includes a little camp battle worth keeping an eye on.
1. Deshaun Watson
Deshaun is probably the biggest factor determining how this season will play out for the Browns. However, he is the clear-cut starter and with a full offseason under his belt as well as less problems to deal with off the field, there is some reason for optimism. He is the most physically gifted Quarterback this franchise had in recent history and was viewed as maybe the best young Quarterback, not named Patrick Mahomes, before his legal issues took him off the field. Kevin Stefanski has a track record of tailoring his offenses to the strengths of his Quarterback and that is why I think spending a whole offseason together plays a huge role in Watson’s success. I would expect a very versatile scheme with the elements of play action we are used to from the Baker Mayfield offense. Additionally, Watson’s athleticism will allow a lot more options to introduce RPOs and designed QB runs. Stefanski already showed his versatility in the run game, where he implemented a lot of different schemes, which is only possible because of top tier talent at Runningback and offensive line. I think Deshaun Watson could be the missing piece to unlock this passing offense for the Browns. On the other hand, he showed some rust coming back onto the field with a lot of questionable decisions and inaccurate throws. After serving his suspension, Watson took over for Brissett, who honestly was the better Quarterback in 2022. This season will show if he can recover and get back to his old form to lead this very talented roster to a deep playoff run.
Joshua Dobbs (Update: Dobbs was traded to the Cardinals)
Dobbs was backing up Jacoby Brissett during Watsons absence but did not get meaningful minutes in Cleveland yet. He did play a few preseason games in 2022 as well as the final two regular season games for Tennessee, who signed him just a week prior to his first start. In those games he flashed his quick processing and athleticism but also his inexperience in the league. Dobbs held the ball too long resulting in sacks as he is still adjusting to the game speed. He fits the mold of Deshaun Watson’s play style but does not have his athletic abilities or arm power. With picking DTR in the most recent draft I could see Dobbs being the backup for this year to get DTR up to speed before taking over backup duties.
2. Dorian Thompson-Robinson
DTR played a lot of Football at UCLA already and is, athletically speaking, very similar to Deshaun Watson. He has amazing arm strength and can also create plays with his legs, when scrambling to find open receivers or pick up yards as a runner. His mental and physical toughness were on display in college. Look no further than his game against Oregon in 2022, where he was the lead blocker on a run play. However, he will have to add a few pounds of muscle in the weight room to be able to absorb hits in the NFL and work on his footwork and decision making to clean up avoidable mistakes. Nevertheless, DTR has the potential to become a borderline starting Quarterback with great physical tools, which will enable the Browns to keep a large part of the playbook, if Watson would go down.
3. Kellen Mond
The Browns claimed Mond off Waivers last August and probably planned to keep him around to groom him into a cheap backup for Watson. He is a similar athletic, big armed Quarterback as the ones I talked about already and was a decent prospect coming into the league. He showed good pocket awareness, fundamentals and game managing abilities in college but could not translate his progression into the NFL. He will battle with DTR for the newly introduced third Quarterback spot that does not count against the 53-player limit. Given the fact that he already got cut as a third-round pick in 2021, and his lack of progression in the league, I would think DTR, who the Browns just invested a draft pick in, should be the favorite here.
Quarterbacks on the 53-man roster (prediction)
- Deshaun Watson
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson
- (Kellen Mond)
Note: The third QB is an emergency GB and does not count against the 53-man limit!
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