Given that Deshaun Watson recently re-tore his Achilles and might not play in 2025, the Cleveland Browns have no choice but to consider that he may have played his last game for the franchise.
Finding a new franchise quarterback isn’t just a desire at this point; it’s a must, but one former player believes head coach Kevin Stefanski won’t have the final say in who will be the next signal-caller in town.
In a recent episode of “The Return With Josh & Maria Cribbs,” Josh Cribbs stressed that “the coach is there to coach” when the idea was floated that Stefanski should be the only person determining who the new quarterback should be, ideally Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 pick.
He added, “To just say, Kevin, it’s on you if you mess up, you’re gone, that’s almost handicapping him as well.”
"To just say Kevin it's on you if you mess it up you gone, that's almost handicapping him as well."
–@JoshCribbs16 in response to @EarldaPearl216's thoughts on having coach Stefanski as the only voice in bringing in the next QB pic.twitter.com/wbn1aZx1Di
— The Return With Josh & Maria Cribbs (@TheCribbsShow) January 11, 2025
Cribbs added that other people in the organization will remind Stefanski that they all need to operate around the fact that Watson’s $72.9 million cap hit puts them in a brutal situation.
They are hamstrung if they plan to bring in an expensive quarterback in free agency.
The only legitimate way out of this situation is to use the No. 2 pick on a quarterback, and if the team falls in love with Ward or Sanders, it could restore a sense of hope for next season.
If Watson doesn’t play in 2025, the Browns have an out to cut him, thanks to their insurance policy on his deal.
It’ll be interesting to follow how this No. 2 pick plays out over the next few months and if the Browns are actually interested in one of these two rookies.
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