It has been said, ad nauseum, that all of the Cleveland Browns eggs are in the Deshaun Watson basket in 2024 and beyond. Well, yes and no. Obviously, the Browns want to see a substantial return on their investment, and the probability of them reaching their goals dramatically increase if Watson can consistently execute at a high level. However, there is absolutely no reason that the Browns’ goals of winning the AFC North and making a deep playoff run should change if Jameis Winston is tasked with leading the team.
One of the more underrated, and least talked about, moves of the offseason came when the Browns signed Winston to a one-year contract. The move to sign Winston signifies a dramatic philosophical shift from last offseason when the Browns were content with going into the season with a fifth-round rookie as their backup quarterback. Hindsight is a hell of a drug.
Given where the Browns are in their winning window, Andrew Berry could not afford to punt on backup quarterback this season. With Watson returning from a season-ending surgery to his throwing shoulder and last year’s backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson doing the same from a hip injury, bringing Winston into the fold was a necessity for the franchise.
However, the Winston signing could be a welcome nothing burger for the franchise if Watson returns to form and is able to stay healthy over the course of the season. But you know what they say, if you want to make the football gods laugh, tell them about your plans. So, just how strong is the Browns plan B at quarterback?
Winston’s Pedigree
Jameis Winston has been on the national radar since he was 17 years old. From being the co-MVP of the Elite 11 competition to being the top dual-threat high school quarterback in the nation, Watson has never been stranger to the spotlight. That trend continued when Winston chose to attend Florida State to play both football and baseball.
As a redshirt freshman, Winston led the Seminoles to a flawless 14-0 record, a National Championship, and he home the Heisman Trophy for his superb play. If he were draft eligible Winston would have been the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. However, Winston would have to wait an extra year at Florida State and wait until the 2015 NFL Draft to hear his name selected first overall.
Winston’s time in the NFL
Being the first player selected in the NFL draft is a blessing and a curse. Of course, being the first name uttered by the commissioner comes with more money, more notoriety, and permanent bragging rights. However, all of those spoils come at a price. For Winston, being drafted first overall by Tampa in 2015 meant that he was going to a team who could only muster two wins the previous season.
During his five seasons in Tampa Bay, Winston started 70 games and threw for 19,737 yards with 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. Just based off statistics alone it is impossible to say that Winston was not productive. Unfortunately, Winston’s production did not equal enough wins for Tampa to hitch their long-term hopes to the former number one overall pick.
In 2020, Winston transitioned to the role of being backup quarterback with the New Orleans Saints. Winston described the opportunity to join the Saints quarterback room as “a Harvard education in quarterback school”. The chance to learn from one of the best quarterbacks ever to do it in Drew Brees was simply too good for Winston to pass on.
Brees would retire following the 2020 season, and Winston went on to win the quarterback battle between himself and Taysom Hill in the preseason in 2021. Winston’s season was unfortunately cut short due to a torn ACL in week eight. Winston had the Saints sitting at 5-2 and had thrown for 14 touchdowns to only three interceptions at the time of his season ending injury.
Payton abruptly retired after the 2021 season and Dennis Allen was tabbed as the new head coach. Unfortunately for Winston, he was unable to maintain his hold on the starting the job after a rocky start to the 2022 season. For one reason or another, Winston fell out of favor with Allen and for the remainder of his time in New Orleans he served as the backup for Andy Dalton and then, in 2023, Derek Carr.
What Winston brings to Cleveland
After the nightmarish quarterback carousel the Browns found themselves stuck on during the 2023 season, it was obvious to Andrew Berry that the Browns needed to be aggressive in the backup quarterback market in free agency. The move to pursue Winston made sense on multiple levels.
Winston had the highest ceiling of any backup available on the market, full stop. From a skillset perspective, Winston has every tool at his disposal. He possesses above average size and athleticism for the position, and Winston’s arm talent, while not elite, is as strong as any quarterback in the AFC North currently. Winston also has a wealth of experience competing in high pressure situations and has played in a variety of different systems in his nine year career.
Then comes the largest reason for my optimism. In Winston’s nine years in the NFL, he has never had the level of talent at his disposal that exists currently in Cleveland. From a veteran ladened offensive line protecting him, to weapons in the passing game like David Njoku and Amari Cooper, Winston will not have to carry the team on his back. Throw in the most talented defense in the NFL, and Winston could very easily feel like he was back in Tallahassee in 2014.
Then there’s the Kevin Stefanski factor. The two-time NFL coach of the year has a history of getting the most out of backup quarterbacks like Jacobi Brissett and Case Keenum. The most recent example of Stefanski’s ability to resurrect a career was last season when Joe Flacco was brought in mid-season as a hail Mary effort to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive. Flacco and Winston share many similarities. Both are win from within the pocket quarterbacks that have a proclivity to push the ball vertically, which is a skillset that Stefanski is comfortable tailoring a gameplan around. Oh yeah, Winston is also nine years younger than Flacco.
Add in the fact that the Browns offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, also has a history of working with large quarterbacks with live arms, then it makes sense for Winston to be the failsafe of the quarterback room. However, it is worth noting that Winston’s biggest asset has at times been the very same thing that gets him in trouble – His confidence. Winston has never seen a throw that he can’t make or a window he can’t fit a ball in. Getting him to toe the line of confident and reckless may prove to be Stefanski’s and Dorsey’s biggest challenge in coaching Winston.
But what makes Winston the perfect backup for the situation in Cleveland is that, while he is a highly talented player, he will not threaten the current power dynamic of the quarterback room. Obviously, the Browns needed a truly capable backup if Deshaun Watson were to get injured, but this move is just as much about propping Watson up in the event that he stays healthy.
Winston is the perfect sounding board for Watson. He’s a player that has had to deal with a ton of attention and notoriety, as well as criticism, and Winston has been able to navigate his way through the noise while remaining undeniably himself. Anyone that has ever played alongside Winston has had nothing but glowing reviews for who Winston is as a teammate. With all the negativity surrounding Watson from the national media, giving him someone in his corner like Winston that he can confide in could prove to be massive benefit.
The bottom line is that Winston can be everything that Flacco was last season for the Browns and then some. In a moment’s notice, Winston can enter a contest and be the reason why they win the game, and if he has to assume the role of the full-time starter the ceiling of the team remains extremely high. He also has no problem with taking a back seat if that is what the situation calls for. That is not common for backup quarterbacks in the NFL. But then again, Winston is not a common backup.
If the Browns find themselves without the services of Deshaun Watson, they have a backup quarterback not only capable of just keeping the train on the tracks, Jameis Winston can take it all of the way to the final destination.
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