CLEVELAND — How did you survive the first weekend without football? Full disclosure: I did not do well.
I tried to become interested in the million college basketball games that seemed to be on every channel. Incidentally, congratulations to the Buckeyes for their upset win over Purdue. I should have stuck with that one longer. I gave the NHL a good look as the New York Rangers and New York Islanders played outdoors at Metlife Stadium in front of over 79,000 fans. I liked it but didn't love it. I needed the Browns and Steelers. I needed the Packers and Cowboys. I needed the NFL. Yes, the NFL has a tight grip on us all and that grip lasts 12 months a year, 365 days. I'm sorry, but the Guardians pitchers and catchers stretching wasn't doing it for me. I went out and took our horses for a walk.
Well next week the NFL is back! Hang on, don't get too excited. The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off in Indianapolis. The NFL community will descend on Indy and go over the draft-eligible athletes from head to toe to examine if they are the right fit for their franchise. Love it!
Our Browns go once again this season without a first-round draft pick in their pocket. That's the price of Deshaun Watson. That ends after this year, but it seems like long ago when the Browns last had a pick in the first 32. It was Greg Newsome, wasn't it? And the pick was made right here in Cleveland when we hosted the NFL Draft.
So if you're like me, you worry about the Browns roster and how it will be shaped going into the 2024 season. I mean the Browns are between $20-24 million over the cap as Watson and some other Browns are set to make hefty salaries that will have to be reworked to give Andrew Berry room to make the team better.
Which brings me to the quarterback position. Will Deshaun Watson be ready for the season after surgery to repair that broken shoulder? All signs say that he will. Remember this season needs to be a big one for Watson. We've only had him for 11 games in two years and our patience is being tested.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the Browns backup behind Watson. Are you comfortable with him if Watson goes down again this year? Remember, the Browns are extremely, and I mean extremely, loyal to players who they draft. DTR was a fifth-round draft choice last year. He jumped out in training camp and in preseason games so much so that the Browns dealt Joshua Dobbs to Arizona a week before the regular season. DTR ended up having to make his first start in an emergency against the Baltimore Ravens when Watson was ruled out at 10:30 the morning of the game. He started and played in a huge game November 19th against the Steelers after Watson went out for the rest of the season. Thompson-Robinson helped the Browns win that day and the job was his for the rest of the season. That is until he got drilled in Denver and was out for the remainder of the year. That's when Joe Flacco arrived and led the Browns to the playoffs.
I'm not convinced the Browns would have made the playoffs if Joe Flacco hadn't taken over. There were big games ahead with the Jaguars, Bears, Texans and Jets. The Browns needed to win those games to make it in. The Jaguars and Bears games went right down to the final possession. Flacco, the veteran, pulled the Browns through. I'm not sure a rookie quarterback would have been able to pull that off. And that's no slam of DTR, but it's just a ton to ask of a young quarterback.
So as the Browns look at their roster and look at the quarterback position, they need to consider a veteran quarterback being behind Watson again this year. The proof is in what happened in 2023. I would love it to be Flacco, but that might not be in the cards. I wouldn't mind seeing Jacoby Brissett back. But let's let Dorian Thompson-Robinson learn the NFL game at the right pace. Remember, this is a playoff team that wants a deeper run into the playoffs this year. Ideally, that run is orchestrated by Deshaun Watson, but if he isn't available again then you owe the team and all of us an experienced quarterback. It's that important.