It is the main storyline for the Browns as they begin training camp.
In fact, it has been the main storyline since last season ended. There are no other storylines that matter, really.
It is a simple one, and a complex one as well.
That is, the Browns have a championship roster overall. That’s obvious. They know it, and they are right. It is as good of a roster as there is in the NFL.
But at the same time, despite the fact of what they are saying in public, deep down inside, the Browns know that they have no idea if they have a championship quarterback, or even just a good quarterback, in Deshaun Watson.
He has been hurt a lot since he joined the Browns in 2022, and when he has played, he has been mediocre at best. And since quarterback is the most important position in team sports, the fact that the Browns are not sure about Watson cancels out the fact that they are certain about their overall roster, and leaves them with a lot of question marks.
The Browns will sinker swim on Watson’s performance. It would be different if they still had Joe Flacco as the backup to him, but because they felt Flacco’s presence was a threat to Watson‘s confidence level, they let Flacco get away in free agency. He had led them to the playoffs last year after Watson got hurt. He was outstanding down the stretch.
I have said it before, and I will say it again. In fact, I will keep saying it, and it is that if a quarterback’s confifence level is so fragile that he can’t even have a backup who can do the job, but will not play unless the startet gets hurt or is incredibly ineffective over a long period of time, then the problem is a whole lot bigger than what the Browns think it is.
As such, then, it will be Watson‘s fault, one way or another, if this team fails to reaches its goals. For if he struggles, the Browns really don’t have anyone behind him who is capable of taking them where they want to go.
The Browns — General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski — had better be right about this guy. If not, then they will have a lot of questions to answer from team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslem.
Steve King
