During the offseason, the Cleveland Browns built their entire offensive philosophy around making quarterback Deshaun Watson better.
The team added a top-tier wide receiver in Jerry Jeudy while firing former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to bring in Ken Dorsey for the same role.
Dorsey’s offensive schemes have three- and four-receiver base sets, an offense akin to the one that helped Watson turn into a Pro Bowl quarterback in Houston.
Despite all of those changes, Watson struggled in the seven games before an Achilles injury last week prematurely ended his season for the second time in as many years.
Analyst Quincy Carrier believes that was the final straw for Watson’s tenure in Cleveland as a starting quarterback.
On the “Worst Take” podcast this week, Carrier suggested Jameis Winston’s 334-yard performance in a win over Baltimore sealed Watson’s fate.
“And then, this happened, and I think it was the nail in the coffin because it was the third time it’s happened,” Carrier said, noting how well Joe Flacco had played last season in Watson’s absence.
“Jameis Winston is going to be the quarterback who’s thrown for over 300 yards, and Deshaun Watson is going to be the quarterback who didn’t even throw over 200,” Carrier added.
Carrier believes the shoulder surgery Watson underwent last year “seemed to have affected him significantly,” accounting for some of the lost production the quarterback sustained from last year to this season.
The analyst suggested it would be a “long shot” for him to return to the starting lineup for the Browns in the future, noting that only injuries would allow him to return to the starting role.
He suggested the Browns would no longer build around Watson, either choosing a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft or exploring other options at the position.
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