The Cleveland Browns picked up arguably their most impressive victory of the season in Week 10. Trailing by 15 points in the second half, they mounted a furious comeback against the Baltimore Ravens, winning 33-31, cutting their AFC North lead to a half-game.
Unfortunately for the Browns, they still came away from that game feeling as if they had lost. Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is now 5-1 on the season, was in a walking boot after the game. While he was adamant he would play in Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that will not be the case.
It turns out, the ankle injury wasn’t the most severe one he was dealing with. Early in the game against the Ravens, Watson also reinjured his right throwing shoulder. Despite pleading to play, the team announced that he would undergo season-ending surgery.
With Watson sidelined, the team is turning to fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson to take over as the starting quarterback. Thompson-Robinson struggled mightily in his debut in Week 4, throwing three interceptions and absorbing four sacks against the Ravens.
He will be taking over instead of P.J. Walker, who also struggled to produce positive numbers when his number was called. It is hard to imagine either player instills much confidence that they can get the job done, but that is what the Browns have to work with currently.
That is unless they make a move in free agency. With only two quarterbacks on the roster, an addition is likely. But, will they sign a practice squad body or someone that can compete for the starting job?
Ben Axelrod of Awful Announcing believes they should go with the latter. One player that he pitched is former MVP and current CBS analyst, Matt Ryan.
“After going un-signed following an uninspiring 2022 season with the Indianapolis Colts, Matt Ryan announced that he’d be joining CBS as an analyst for the 2023 campaign,” Axelrod wrote. “Even at the time, [Ryan] clarified that he wasn’t technically retiring from the NFL and would be open to returning to the playing field in the right situation.”
Back in May, Ryan did hint at the possibility of making a return to the NFL. It would have to be the perfect situation with all of the stars aligning, which evidently meant not the New York Jets. He was asked about joining them after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury and he was not interested.
Would he be more interested in joining the Browns? It will be something to keep an eye on as Cleveland has to keep all of their options open. With a dominant, championship-caliber defense in place, the team only needs average offensive production to make a run to the playoffs.
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