The Cleveland Browns dropped to 3-9 after falling to the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football,” but fans have to admit Jameis Winston has kept the team in games as the team’s starting quarterback.
He’s won games against two divisional opponents, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the first half clock winding down Monday, ESPN color commentator and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman discussed the Browns’ quarterback situation.
During his synopsis, he called Deshaun Watson, the embattled quarterback out for the remainder of the season, an “albatross.”
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Former NFL quarterback and TV commentator Troy Aikman before a game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals Dec. 4, 2023, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“You know, this is a tough league,” Aikman began his monologue, via Awful Announcing. “And we all talk about parity. But when it comes to your hometown team, nobody wants to hear it. And Kevin Stefanski is an outstanding football coach, and he’s proven that. Two-time Coach of the Year. What he did to that group last year to get them in the postseason — they started four quarterbacks, they were decimated with injuries.
“And I get it. You know, this year hasn’t been what people thought coming in, but the albatross is Deshaun Watson. If you go to Jameis Winston earlier in the year, does this look different? Because I would say the defensive struggles, in at least a small part, have had to do with how inept the offense has been moving the football. I think it’s affected the defensive play, as well.”
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Aikman doubled down later in the game when Winston had 355 passing yards and Jerry Jeudy caught six of those passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.
“You can’t help but wonder what this year might have looked like for Cleveland if Jameis had taken over from the start or at least much sooner than when he did,” Aikman said. “I know Deshaun Watson goes down with a torn Achilles, but it had been a real struggle offensively watching him.”
The Browns’ season is virtually over in terms of playoff contention, but the organization has a lot of evaluation to do at the quarterback position after Watson went 1-6 to start the season before tearing his Achilles against the Cincinnati Bengals Oct. 20.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston passes the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
During those games, Watson threw for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, while getting sacked 33 times.
Since Winston took over Stefanski’s offense, the Browns have gone 2-3 with the 30-year-old passing for 1,680 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the five games he’s started.
The biggest issue with Watson is the $230 million contract he signed that has him under Cleveland control until the 2027 campaign, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Do the Browns want to see Watson recover and try to find his way again, hoping he can recreate the magic he had in Houston with the Texans? Or does the organization want to move on, especially considering off-the-field allegations that continue even after the numerous civil lawsuits that led to an 11-game suspension in 2022?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looks for an open receiver during the second half of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
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The Browns will deliberate over those very questions while evaluating Winston over the team’s final five games, starting with a rematch against the Steelers Sunday in Pittsburgh.
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