Despite the depth it offers, the Cleveland Browns’ loaded quarterback room might not be the best thing given what it says about Deshaun Watson.
It makes sense for Cleveland to want to have a number of strong backups behind its starting pitcher, especially considering that Watson has only appeared in six regular-season games during his two seasons with the club. However, the signing of Tyler Huntley and Jameis Winston by the Browns in a make-or-break season following a season-ending shoulder surgery has caused some controversy in the community.
The team may have added Huntely, a former Baltimore Ravens starter, along with Winston, a former No. 1 overall pick, due to a lack of faith in Watson’s longevity and/or effectiveness.
The Browns made a huge mistake by entering the 2023 campaign with undeveloped rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as Watson’s primary backup. Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand and ESPN 850 stated in a mailbag on March 31 that “I think they learned from it.” They considered Huntley, who remained unsigned, to be a cheap insurance policy in the event that Winston and Watson suffered injuries. Watson will be alright, they insist, but this year’s reliance on veteran backup quarterbacks makes no one think that anything is certain.
Huntley joined the Ravens in 2020, although he has never started every week. But Baltimore has used him numerous times over the course of several seasons to relieve two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Due to his agility and ability to be a dangerous combination rusher and thrower, Huntley has been compared to a lesser version of quarterback Andrew Jackson. In nine career starts—all during the last three seasons—Huntley is 3-6. He has also taken snaps in twenty games overall.
He was unexpectedly selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after a 2-2 performance in which Jackson was injured. Huntley had a 67% completion rate for 658 throwing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions by the end of that season. According to Pro Football Reference, he also scored one touchdown on the ground and accumulated 137 rushing yards.
Huntley has completed 64.6% of his pass attempts for 1,957 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in his career. With 115 carries, he has 509 yards (5 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns. Huntley, 26, inked a one-year deal with Cleveland that is estimated to be worth just less than $1.3 million.
Huntley defies the stereotype of the majority of NFL No. 3 quarterbacks by becoming more than just a competent backup. The fact that he was added to the roster after Winston was added by the Browns suggests that the front leadership and coaching staff in Cleveland anticipate that they may need Huntley before the regular season ends.
With a 4-1 record and an average of more than 300 passing yards per game, Joe Flacco was the quarterback that the squad needed to lead it to the AFC Playoffs in 2023 as a wildcard team. Flacco’s inability to reduce turnovers—more especially, the interceptions he threw—was his undoing. With 99 interceptions in 93 games over his NFL career, Winston has experienced comparable difficulties.
The Browns’ No. 1 defense in 2023 will try to take the team back to the playoffs, but Winston will need to find a way to keep the offense competitive if Watson is hurt or stumbles again in 2024, as history indicates he would. Huntley will get a chance if he doesn’t succeed.
But if one of those eventualities comes to be, the implications for Cleveland go far beyond simply deciding who would replace Watson in the final weeks of the regular season.
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