Should Browns Get Better At QB?

So, finally we know. The Cleveland Browns know QB Deshaun Watson will miss the first 11 games of the 2022 season, returning ironically, against his former team, the Houston Texans on December 4th.

The question becomes how many of those 11 games will Jacoby Brissett be behind center for Cleveland?

Brissett was signed to be a back up quarterback, when the Browns’ front office thought Watson’s suspension would be no longer than six games. They figured the former Patriot and Colt signal caller could handle that amount of games.

Now, they will need him to play at the highest level of his career for five additional games.

We have written before that the Browns’ roster is ready to win right now. They have one of the top running backs in the NFL in Nick Chubb, one of the sports’ best pass rushers in Myles Garrett and perhaps the best pair of interior linemen in the league in guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller.

And we haven’t even mentioned stars like Denzel Ward, Jadeveon Clowney, Amari Cooper, and Kareem Hunt.

The organization cannot wait while Brissett leads the Browns to say, a 4-7 start to the season.

And maybe he won’t, but we would minimize the risk in that happening by looking for another QB to be the starter in the majority of those contests.

Last season, the front office and the fan base was upset with a passer who had a 60.5% completion percentage and had 17 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions and a 7.2 yards per attempt.

Brissett’s career completion percentage is 60.2, although he did hit on 62.7% of his throws a year ago, when he started five games for Miami. He hit a higher percentage, but only had 5.7 yards per attempt, and he threw five TD passes vs. four to the opponents.

If Browns’ supporters didn’t like how Baker Mayfield played a year ago, they will likely be getting the same type of performance from Brissett. Think about that for a moment.

That’s why we said as early as three months ago we would go after Jimmy Garoppolo. We know he is coming off a shoulder injury. We know his current team wants to dump his salary. We know he’s had a long issue with staying healthy.

We also know last season, the nine year veteran completed 68.3% of his passes, and his career mark is 67.7%. His yards per attempt was 8.6 better than both Mayfield and Brissett and he threw 20 TD passes against 12 picks.

And he took the Niners to a Super Bowl in 2019 and to the NFC Championship Game in 2021.

Could he start week one if the Browns dealt for him today? Probably not, but could he take over in week three? Probably.

Does it have to be Garoppolo? No, but we think it would behoove GM Andrew Berry to find someone better than Brissett, who is a fine back up.

However, right now, Brissett is not the reserve QB, he’s the starter, and barring injury, he will be for the first three months of the 2022 season. And we say there is too much at stake for this franchise to not try to get better at the most important position in pro sports.

Berry is always saying he is always looking for opportunities to improve the Browns. Let’s hope he is doing that at quarterback right now.

The Decision Is In…Maybe

So Judge Sue L. Robinson emerged from the mountain top and handed down a six-game suspension for Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. Now, Cleveland football fans have to wait to see if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will add on to the punishment.

First, it would seem to be a bad look for Goodell to add games since this is the first time the league has used Judge Robinson for this purpose, and for Goodell to overrule her would seem to be just what league was trying to avoid by hiring her.

On the other hand, this is the NFL and Goodell seems to do whatever he damn well pleases. So, we can see him adding to the punishment, perhaps adding another two games, keeping Watson on the sidelines for basically half the season.

Remember, that in a way, these kinds of proceedings can be like a game. If people are upset because Watson didn’t get a longer suspension, it may just be that the league didn’t provide the judge with enough evidence.

She can only rule on what she sees or hears.

And regardless of how fans in Cleveland feel about Watson and what he did in his massage sessions, the whole situation is a bad look for the NFL.

They’ve known about these allegations for pretty much a year and a half, so our question is why did it take so long for them to act? Yes, we understand they were collecting information from the women involved, but still, it should have been taken care of long before this.

And by the way, we aren’t condoning Watson’s actions. We have said right from the day he was acquired that we wish the Browns had not gone down this road. It’s a bad look for the organization and we understand fans that say they feel strange supporting the new quarterback.

As for the football aspect of all this, we think the Browns can be fairly certain Watson will be on the field at some point in 2022. Can the team tread water with Jacoby Brissett as the signal caller?

We would wager the offense will be much more of a ground and short passing game while Brissett is playing, with opponents getting a healthy dose of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Remember, the Browns open at Carolina before coming home to take on the Jets and Steelers (on Thursday night) and then travel to Atlanta. Cleveland could be favored in all four games, even without Watson playing.

Then, the schedule gets considerably tougher with home games against the Chargers and Patriots, followed by road contests against division foes Baltimore and Cincinnati.

If the six game suspension holds, Watson would make his debut against the Ravens.

Because the commissioner has the right to review Judge Robinson’s “verdict”, Browns’ fans may have to wait three more days to find out the exact length of the quarterback’s suspension.

No doubt that will be discussed ad nauseum until Goodell makes the final decision.

Then Kevin Stefanski and his coaching staff can figure out how to proceed with reps. Since Watson hasn’t played since 2020, he needs some work, but that has to be balanced with getting Brissett ready for the regular season.

As usual, nothing is easy when it comes to the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns.

If Watson Is Out For A While, Browns Can’t Sit Idle

As the Deshaun Watson saga continues, the thing that keeps creeping into our minds is what happens if the NFL decides on a full year suspension for the recently acquired quarterback.

Or really, any suspension longer than eight games, a little more than half of the season.

If Watson would be out of action for a span of more than 50% of the league’s schedule, it would seem GM Andrew Berry would be back in the market for a QB. There is too much at stake for this franchise to have to play Jacoby Brissett for a majority of the schedule.

This isn’t a knock on Brissett, who is a very good back up signal caller, and perfectly capable of guiding the Browns to some wins in a limited time span. However, we don’t think anyone believes he’s a guy who can lead a team to the playoffs.

And why is it important for the Browns to be able to be in the playoff mix this season? Simple, look at the roster and the number of great players in the prime of their career. Nick Chubb is 27, Myles Garrett is 27, Denzel Ward is 25, Amari Cooper is 28.

Add another year to all of those guys if the 2022 season comes and goes without a long playoff run.

Three of the oldest players on the squad are offensive linemen in Joel Bitonio (31), Jack Conklin (28) and Wyatt Teller (28). We saw first hand what happened last year when Conklin went out after the Chargers game.

There is no question this is one of the strongest units on the roster. Will they still be able to play up to the 2020 standards in ’23? Maybe, but the wear and tear takes its toll at some point.

The Browns were the fourth youngest team in the NFL a year ago at 25.61 years of age by average. Let’s just say Cleveland would be at 26.61 this year. They’d be the seventh oldest relating to the ranking for the 2021 season.

Now, we know that won’t be the case because rookies will make the team and some veterans on the end of the roster will be replaced by younger players. But it does show how closely bunched the age of the men on an NFL roster is.

You can be a young team one season and a grizzled veteran team in a span of two years.

And that’s why if Watson is ruled out for most, if not all of the 2022 season, the front office has to find a better option than Brissett. And no, it won’t be Baker Mayfield, the Browns have napalmed that relationship, although we understand why to national people it would make the most sense.

We have suggested before, could Mayfield be traded for another QB? A proven one? Outside of Jimmy Garoppolo, there probably isn’t one out available, but could the Browns be interested in bringing in the veteran for one season?

You would think they most definitely would.

No doubt Berry is already doing some groundwork in the event the ruling is a one year suspension for Watson. With a talent laden roster, wasting a year isn’t an option for the Cleveland Browns.

The Watson Situation Just Looks Worse and Worse

Every news item coming out about new Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson really isn’t helping the image of the organization, is it?

Two more civil suits and a story by Jenny Vrentas in the New York Times just in the past few days put Watson in an even more troublesome (if that’s possible) light.

As for the folks in Berea? They are the people who put their necks out for the former Houston QB, and now they look clueless, the last thing the Haslam ownership and organization needed.

We would hope the Browns are not surprised by any of this, that they did their due diligence and knew this stuff was out there, even if it had yet to be reported. But a wise man once said perception is reality, and the front office looks as bad as they did when Cleveland went 1-31 over a two year period.

We think anyone with half of a brain knew Watson was going to be suspended at some point by the league, and lack of an indictment doesn’t mean anything to the NFL. They have suspended other players who weren’t legally charged with a crime.

But the popular opinion was it would be around six games. Now, that would seem to be awfully light. At best, Watson is guilty of some pretty poor judgment, which we would think no one would want out of their starting quarterback.

GM Andrew Berry brought in Jacoby Brissett to start during a probable Watson suspension, but what if he is sidelined for the entire season? Are the Browns ready to go an entire season with Brissett at the helm? Anything is possible, but in the very difficult AFC, it would seem Cleveland isn’t a playoff contender in that scenario.

Many people have suggested the franchise should mend fences with Baker Mayfield if that’s the case, but the relationship between and team and Mayfield has been napalmed, so it’s probably not even a remote scenario.

However, would other teams be interested in trading for Mayfield if the Browns would take back a quarterback also under a big contract?

We are just speculating, but if San Francisco really wants to go with Trey Lance at QB, but want to have a solid back up in case he struggles or gets injured. Would they be interested in a deal involving Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo? Or could Sam Darnold be a better option for the Browns than Brissett over an entire season?

Those might be better alternatives for a team (and a coach) that needs to get to the playoffs in 2022. And Brissett is still around as a fallback in case of an injury.

It puts the Browns in a better position for this season while not having to deal with bringing Mayfield back, an option the team has already dismissed.

By the way, anyone who paints Mayfield as childish for not showing up to the mandatory mini-camp is out of touch. The Browns don’t want him there. It has nothing to do with the former first overall pick.

You would have to think the front office has to be studying scenarios as to what would happen if Watson is ruled out for the entire season. Again, that’s due diligence.

However, it’s what they signed up for. They have no one to blame but themselves.

An Issue With Watson? Other Cities Have Gotten Over Things

Since Deshaun Watson was acquired by the Browns, the fan base has been torn. Supporters of the team would like him to be exonerated from all of civil suits filed against him, which might not happen for around 18 months.

Others point to the lack of criminal charge by a grand jury as proof of Watson’s innocence. Remember, that legal proceedings are a “game” in itself, and sometimes it’s just a matter of the prosecution failing to make a solid case from the evidence the police brought forward.

Some will feel “dirty” even if all of the civil cases went the quarterback’s way, because at the very least the former Texan QB was guilty of bad judgment.

Others have talked themselves into believing Watson won’t be suspended if he wins all of these civil cases. (In our opinion, he’s going to be sidelined at some point by the league office).

But if the Browns start winning, becoming a perennial playoff team, and perhaps even making or winning a Super Bowl, all of this will fade into the background.

That’s the nature of sports and fandom.

Barry Bonds is one of the more polarizing players baseball has even seen. It would be difficult to find a supporter of the slugger anywhere except San Francisco.

Bonds was never a warm and fuzzy figure among fans and reportedly among his teammates as well. However, if you talk to Giants’ fans and say he’s a disgrace to the sport, be ready for a fight. Most people out in the Bay Area love him, and regard him as the sports’ all-time home run leader, while people who aren’t Giants’ supporters believe Hank Aaron is the true king of the long ball and wish Bonds would just go away.

The same is true of Baltimore Ravens’ fans and Ray Lewis. Lewis is revered for the most part in Baltimore, and there is a statue of him in front of M & T Bank Stadium where the Ravens play their home games.

Here, and we would assume other AFC North cities think the incident Lewis was involved in Atlanta in 2000 after a Super Bowl party make his less than an ideal candidate for a statue. But he went on to work for ESPN as an analyst and has served as a pitch man for several products.

By and large, Lewis’ reputation is Baltimore is as a great player and great leader. He’s a huge part of their two Super Bowl titles, and he’s been honored for his involvement in the community.

So, while many fans feel uncomfortable with the Browns getting Watson and giving him a boatload of cash to wear the brown and orange. If Cleveland wins with him as the quarterback, fans will figure out a way to live with his past.

Sure, there will be those who can’t get past it, and may even stop rooting for the Browns, and if they continue with that position if Cleveland gets to its first Super Bowl with Watson under center, they are stronger than most.

For most sports fans, they will look the other way on Deshaun Watson’s past if the Browns are successful. Cleveland won’t be any different than other cities.

Browns’ Schedule Game? Not Interested.

Tonight, the NFL will announce their 2022 season schedule, and it is a reflection of the giant place the league has in the sports’ consciousness that there is a prime time show based around telling fans who will play who and when on a weekly basis.

Another reason the NFL is the king.

Of course, the “unveiling” if you will, affects sports talk radio programming for Friday, because virtually every show will have a version the “schedule game”, in which everyone looks at the slate of games to determine what their favorite team’s record is.

Quite frankly, we would rather listen to recordings of William Shatner singing.

A bonus in Cleveland is it one less day spent discussing what the Browns will do with Baker Mayfield and/or how many games Deshaun Watson will be suspended. Although, if the Browns get several nationally televised games late in the year, people will take that as an indication that Watson’s suspension (if there is one in 2022) will be finished by then.

First of all, no one playing the game has any clue about injuries, when they will happen, and which players will be affected on any given week. Wouldn’t any Cleveland fan call the game against say, Buffalo as a loss, but if Josh Allen were to be out that week, it would certainly change the prediction for that contest.

Another thing not factored in is how the either team is playing. Let’s say you have a game early in the year against a team that struggled the prior year, but started out winning its first two or three games. That team is now playing with confidence and it becomes a more difficult task.

And add in if say the Browns lost the week prior. Teams that loses sometimes take a while to get going the following game. Remember how the Browns struggled in their week two game against the Texans a year ago after they lost the opener to the Chiefs? It took Kevin Stefanski’s crew about a half to start playing as expected.

We know that every year a team comes out of nowhere to make the NFL’s post-season. Last year it occurred in Cleveland’s own division, where Cincinnati went from 4-11-1 in 2020 to 10-7, a division title, and a Super Bowl berth in ’21.

Conversely, Seattle went from 12-4 to 7-10 from 2020 to 2021. Heck, the Browns themselves went from 11-5 to 8-9. Wonder what the schedule game people though about games against this trio of teams heading into last season?

We get that the schedule is fun to talk about and it fills a day of programming for the hosts who play a yearly game of the event, but let’s face it, there won’t be any surprises tonight. The Browns will play the same opponents it was announced they would face at the conclusion of the ’21 season.

The NFL schedule is formulaic, we can already tell you Cleveland will play the teams from the NFC West in 2023.

So, count us out on trying to analyze a group of games that won’t be played for at least four months. We can tell you this though. Roger Goodell thanks you for playing the “Schedule Game”.

The NFL Draft Not Really Big For Browns’ Fans This Year.

The annual NFL Draft takes place this week in Las Vegas and as a Browns’ fan, we can’t imagine it having any less buzz.

GM Andrew Berry traded his first round pick this year and the two years following to get QB Deshaun Watson from Houston. And as we have said before, despite anyone’s personal feelings about Watson’s situation, he is (in our opinion) a top five quarterback in the NFL.

So, no debates on what the Browns need to do about that position for several years.

When you take a broad picture of this football team, it’s a pretty solid roster right now.

Berry has seven picks at his disposal, the earliest being #44, and the Browns have two more selections in the top 100, the 78th pick and the 99th pick, both of those in the third round.

Cleveland could still use another wide receiver, even after dealing for Amari Cooper earlier this off-season, and probably get another tight end, to replace Austin Hooper, who was a salary cap casualty.

On the other side of the football, the defensive line needs bolstering, although the possibility still remains that Jadeveon Clowney could return to the team as a free agent.

Defensive tackle is a position of need, although it depends on whether the coaching staff thinks Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai can be starters next season. We would feel better if a high draft pick were to be used on this position.

But we would say there is no expectation any player drafted next weekend will be starters when Cleveland kicks off their season in September. Even if a wide out is picked at #44, no one will be concerned if the rookie starts the year as a third receiver.

That shows how talented this current roster is. And Berry has set up contracts so the Browns still have plenty of cap space despite the moves for Watson and Cooper, the presence of Myles Garrett, and even Denzel Ward’s new deal.

There are national writers who believe the Browns may have the most complete roster in the NFL, even though they finished 8-9 last season.

Think about it, they have arguably the best pass rusher in the game in Garrett. They may have the best running back in Nick Chubb. And they have a top cornerback in Ward.

They have perhaps the best guard tandem in the NFL in Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller.

And now, they have a top passer in Watson.

One area they still need to address is kicker. Chase McLaughlin was one of the worst field goal kickers in the league last year. When you lose six games by six points or less, that weakness is even more noticeable.

Also, they are in a division where the best in the league resides in Justin Tucker of the Ravens, and the Steelers and Bengals also have more than solid guys.

It’s something Berry needs to fix. The Browns have to know when they get inside the opponents’ 40-yard line, they are going to come away with points. It’s been awhile since that’s been the case. You have to go back to Phil Dawson.

We wouldn’t be shocked if a later round pick is used to bring one in.

It’s been a long time since Browns’ fans haven’t been obsessed about the NFL Draft. Not having a first round pick does that.

Cleveland will likely be observers on Thursday night, but the fun begins on Friday, when all fans become amateur GMs.

Watson Is Very Good, But It Doesn’t Make It Easier To Take

It was a bold move, a controversial move made by the Cleveland Browns a few days ago. The front office, including the Haslam family ownership, felt the team was a quarterback away from championship contention.

So, they went out and traded a boatload of draft capital for a QB who didn’t even play last season in Houston’s Deshaun Watson. The price was three first round picks and a third and four round selections over the next three years.

Watson’s on-field talent is undeniable. Last year, when trying to determine exactly where Baker Mayfield ranked among the league’s signal callers, we said the former Texan quarterback was one of the top five at the position in the NFL, along with Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers.

The last year he played, 2020, we know the Texans went 4-12, but it wasn’t the quarterback’s fault. The former Clemson standout completed 70.2% of his passes for a league leading 4823 yards, 33 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. And he led the NFL in average yards per pass attempt.

They gave up 29 points per contest. That’s why they went 4-12.

He also ran for 444 yards. He’s a true dual threat at QB.

However, there is another side to the story. Although Watson was not charged by a Grand Jury, he does face civil suits from 22 women alleging sexual misconduct. It’s like the Browns sold their soul to the devil in order to cure their QB issues.

There are fans in Cleveland who somehow feel the Cavaliers title in 2016, the ONLY championship by a professional sports team in northeast Ohio since 1964, is somehow tainted because LeBron James returned home via free agency and the Cavs put together a “super team”.

First, it is the job of any professional sports franchise to put the best team they can on the field and if they can do so within the rules, it’s legitimate. And no one on that team had any issues legally.

We were not in favor of trading for Watson, feeling it would be a tough sell for any team, not just the Cleveland Browns. Especially for women fans of the Browns. Still, it should appall everyone. It wasn’t one or two females making these claims, it was 22. We doubt it was a smear campaign against the Texans’ QB.

But when it happened, we did feel excitement that GM Andrew Berry pulled off acquiring one of football’s premier passers.

Who knows, Watson may never have another instance in this regard, and while it won’t be forgotten, winning has a way of making people overlook things.

What feels a little grimy is Watson’s contract was structured to prevent a large hit monetarily from a probable suspension, which would figure to be between six and eight games.

And the Browns also had to give him the largest guaranteed money in the history of the league to get him to waive a no trade clause to come to Cleveland.

We said any team dealing for Watson would need a solid backup because he will likely miss games in 2022, and Berry did that by signing Jacoby Brissett, who has 37 starts in his career, including five this year with Miami.

His best year was with the Colts in ’19, going 7-8 as a starter, throwing 18 TDs against six picks, completing 61% of his passes.

When Watson takes the field as a Cleveland Brown, there will be a mixed feeling. While we will root for the Browns, it will be tough to support the quarterback. That’s a shame.

Other teams, notably the Raiders (no matter where they play) have had an outlaw image, and it has been supported by their fans. Cleveland is different. We aren’t used to playing that role, the closest was with Albert Belle in the mid-1990’s.

But Belle was drafted here, the Indians didn’t trade for him.

It’s a conundrum to be sure. Watson’s actions were reprehensible. They weren’t made less appalling because he wears a Cleveland uniform.

Browns Moving On At QB Wasn’t A Rash Decision

We have said from the very end of the Browns’ season in 2021 that Andrew Berry, Paul DePodesta, and Kevin Stefanski would evaluate every position on the football field in an effort to improve the team for 2022.

There were no leaks and crazy speculation from inside Berea, but in appears the trio do hold Baker Mayfield responsible for the offensive issues and are preparing to move on from the former first overall pick.

We do not doubt for a second that there was some turmoil between the quarterback and the head coach last season. Mayfield criticized the offensive game plan, and when you do that publicly, you are butting heads with the guy calling the plays.

Let’s clear a couple of things up first. We have heard that Mayfield only played well here for a small stretch of games, those being the second half of the 2020 season, when the Browns made the playoffs. That’s not true.

Mayfield was very good his rookie season. Remember Cleveland went 0-16 the year before he arrived, and they did go 6-7 in his 13 starts. And he had career highs in completion percentage and touchdown passes.

And the Browns were 2-2 the next season after a resounding 40-25 win at Baltimore. Mayfield was 20 of 30 for 342 yards in that contest.

What followed was a four game losing streak, started with a pair of multi-interception games vs. San Francisco and Seattle. The Browns finished 6-10 and Freddie Kitchens lost his job.

Secondly, remember that the coach and front office inherited Mayfield. They didn’t draft him and therefore didn’t have any attachment. They tried to make things work out, but apparently felt he was more of a problem than a solution going forward.

There can be no doubt Mayfield was not 100% after the Houston game in week two, but we felt (and still do) that the organization kept him in the lineup more because they had no confidence i Case Keenum handling the position, and our guess is Keenum won’t be with the team much longer either.

Another thing to consider is Mayfield’s psyche. It seemed toward the end of the season that he developed the “yips”, meaning it appeared he was afraid to pull the trigger at times. If that happened, the Browns may have no choice. They don’t have the time to rebuild his confidence.

There is no question Deshaun Watson is a top five quarterback in the sport and getting him would improve the position for the Browns. However, you have to figure the price tag to get him (a lot of draft capital) and the current situation in his personal life.

There are many fans who will have a problem getting Watson, and although they will continue to root for the Browns, it will feel a little slimy to support the QB.

And remember, Watson can approve where he goes (ironic right?), so what if he decides he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland? Where do the Browns go for their new signal caller?

First, we don’t think for a minute that the organization put all their eggs in the Watson basket. They have been studying options since the minutes the gun sounded in their week 18 win over the Bengals.

We would guess they are looking at making a deal for Jimmy Garoppolo or Matt Ryan, and perhaps also looking at Jameis Winston.

We also think if they don’t get Watson, thus keeping the 13th overall pick, they will not be taking a quarterback there. If they think the quarterback position is holding them back, they aren’t going to play a rookie there in 2022. Drafting a developmental guy there instead of a player who can help right away doesn’t make sense either.

We should know soon how everything will play out. But it’s pretty clear the Cleveland Browns will have a new starting quarterback next season. Berry and Stefanski probably knew that a while ago.

Trading For Watson Is A Waste Of Browns’ Resources.

There is no question that there are fans and people who cover the Cleveland Browns that are a different breed. The media, in particular, have a different view of the city’s professional football team.

While the Indians can trade Francisco Lindor and people seem to think that’s okay, when it comes to the Browns they speculate about replacing the quarterback who led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2002.

It started with Houston QB Deshaun Watson’s pronouncement that he wants to be traded away from his current team. Immediately, there were folks in northeastern Ohio thinking the Browns should make a deal for the former Clemson quarterback, who by the way, Cleveland could have drafted.

Watson is a talent, that’s for sure. We believe he is one of the top four QBs in the NFL. We don’t include rookie in making this evaluation, but we feel the other three are Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson.

Yes, the Texans were a terrible team this season, but in Watson’s first full year as a starter, when Houston finished at 11-5, he was sacked the most times in the NFL. There are people who believe Watson sacks himself at times.

All of those other guys we listed have won one Super Bowl each, although Mahomes has a chance to win another next Sunday. Now, we understand the passers who have dominated the sport over the past two decades (Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger) are a little long in the tooth.

Besides that pair, no other active QB has won more than one Lombardi Trophy.

We aren’t saying you don’t need a great quarterback to win the championship, you certainly do, but we are saying having a great quarterback doesn’t guarantee a berth in the Super Bowl.

The current Browns QB, Baker Mayfield got his team to the playoffs in his third season, and won a playoff game, giving him the same number of playoffs wins as Watson.

To us, if you don’t think about replacing your quarterback if you are a playoff team unless he is the reason you cannot advance in the post-season. At this point, that does not describe Baker Mayfield.

His critics, which we feel have a dissenting opinion because they wanted the Browns to draft either Sam Darnold or Josh Allen in the 2018 draft, blame him for not driving the team down the field after the Karl Joseph interception in the fourth quarter of the 22-17 loss to Kansas City.

In reality, the reason the Browns lost that game was their defense couldn’t get off the field when they had the Chiefs in a 3rd and 14 situation. The defense was the weakest point of the team all year, because of injuries, and it couldn’t come through when it was needed.

And that defense will get better in the draft, where the Browns have nine picks. They would almost certainly have to give up some of those choices if they were to go after Watson, that doesn’t make any sense.

Those critics feel having Watson at the helm gives the Browns a better chance to win the AFC title and get to the Super Bowl, but how do we know Mayfield can’t do the same thing? How do we know Mayfield won’t be even better next season in his second year under the tutelage of Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, and he can be on the same level as Watson.

He should get that opportunity.

If you could trade Mayfield for Watson, straight up, we would think about it. If you said trading for Watson would guarantee a Super Bowl for Cleveland, we would do it.

But there are no guarantees. Baker Mayfield is the Browns quarterback and he played well in the playoffs and won one game.

That should be the end of the argument. Period.