Training camp is officially underway for quarterback Deshaun Watson and 90 other Cleveland Browns. That doesn’t include the nearly three dozen members coaching staff or the hundreds who work in marketing, sales, operations, and more.
In what has become a near-yearly ritual, the 2023 Browns look much different than the 2022 edition, and while the spotlight will shine brightest on their controversial quarterback, there are several storylines worth monitoring in training camp.
Everything Rests on Deshaun Watson In 2023
A Complete Defensive Overhaul
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was kicked to the curb before the players even cleaned their lockers. The 2022 Browns defense was soft and often confused. The team brought in Jim Schwartz, a defensive boss known for aggressive pass-rush schemes.
Schwartz wasted no time in signing nearly a half dozen new defensive linemen and a big-time safety. However, that may not be enough, as the team virtually ignored its thinnest position, linebacker.
A Special Situation at Special Teams
The writing was on the wall for Woods, but it was a surprise when special teams boss Mike Priefer was fired six weeks later. Replacing him is Bubba Ventrone, who oversaw the highly respected special teams unit in Indianapolis. The unique circumstances surrounding the firing have led some to question whether there’s an internal power struggle in Berea.
The Reloaded, Redesigned Offense
For the last several seasons, the Cleveland Browns have been built on a foundation of one of the best offensive lines in football. The unit returns for 2023 intact and healthy. They’ll keep opening holes for one of the best – and yet somehow underrated – running backs in the league in Nick Chubb. Chubb is ready to assume a larger role with the departure of former running mate Kareem Hunt. There’s still a Hunt-sized hole on the depth chart behind Chubb, a scary situation for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
For all of the talk, for all of the new signings, for all of the HOPE of Super Bowl rings coming to the shores of Lake Erie, fans, players, and media alike know it all falls on the shoulders of one man.
It All Falls To Quarterback Deshaun Watson
Watson came to the team last season through some extreme circumstances. Though he didn’t play for nearly two years due to off-the-field issues, Cleveland’s management wanted him badly. Former first-overall choice Baker Mayfield had played himself out of favor, and the Browns wanted “an adult in the locker room.” Three first-round picks later, Watson signed the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Then, Watson had to sit for most of the season. When he finally made his long-awaited Browns debut in December, he looked like a shell of the player he was in Houston. Still, he showed flashes of athletic ability. The strong arm was still there. But missing were the lighting quick reads and the timing with receivers. In short, the X factor that so often separates the best quarterbacks from the rest of the pack.
Elite… Or Nothing
If the NFL has proven anything in the third decade of the 21st century, it’s this. To win, to win consistently, to win championships, a team needs an elite quarterback. Imagine Kansas City without Patrick Mahomes. Cincinnati without Joe Burrow. Buffalo without Josh Allen. Or, to go back even farther, look at what New England has become without Tom Brady.
The New York Jets traded a king’s ransom to get former all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the twilight of his career just to have that chance, however brief.
There simply aren’t enough elite passers to go around. That amount of demand vs. such little supply makes teams desperate. That desperation led the Cleveland Browns to give up three first-round picks and $230 million for a quarterback with a lot of questions.
Can Watson Play?
The last time Deshaun Watson played an entire season came in 2020 with the woeful Houston Texans. That team finished 4-12, and was so bad that head coach Bill O’Brien was fired after four weeks.
Despite this, Watson finished second in the NFL with a passer rating of 112.4, behind only Rodgers. He led the league in passing yards, 4,823, outpacing even Mahomes and the GOAT himself, Tom Brady.
These statistics weren’t one-offs either, as he performed similarly in the two previous seasons. This after leading Clemson to a national title, where they improbably took down Ohio State and Alabama in back-to-back games.
It’s this Deshaun Watson the Browns are looking for. But is Watson still this guy?
All In
The Cleveland Browns management has pushed all their chips to the center of the table on a bet that Watson is still that good or better. They’ve written last season off already. Rationalizations include that the offense was designed for his predecessor. Watson hadn’t played in almost two years; the rust was inevitable. Star receiver Amari Cooper was banged up.
The Browns were able to essentially punt on 2022 while waiting for Watson. But those days are gone. The team’s offensive line is talented but aging. Star running back Nick Chubb is in his sixth season with the team, which is getting long in the tooth for a running back. Top receiver Amari Cooper will turn 30 before next season. The big free-agent signings aren’t far behind. Of course, the salary cap will get them soon as well.
Stefanski’s entering his fourth season, and if he’s not hearing footsteps, he’s not listening closely enough. So he tore down the team’s offensive philosophy during the offseason. He watched game film. He polled Watson’s former coaches. Then, he and Watson began a ground-up rebuild of the philosophy.
“It’s just a lot more responsibility for myself,” Watson told the Akron Beacon Journal, “but I like the weight on my shoulders and for me to be able to go out there and show what I got and help me lead this team to a lot of victories, that’s where I want to get to. So we have a lot of work to put in this next break and once we come back and (report to training camp)… we’ve got to be ready, locked and loaded, and show what we got.”
Beyond Philosophy
The Browns didn’t stop there. With the top of the wide receiver depth chart locked in on Cooper, Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry invested much of the team’s limited capital in a deeper stable. Now the receivers are perhaps the team’s biggest training camp battle. They traded for the speedy yet underachieving Jet Elijah Moore, signed speedster Marquise Goodwin, and then added a big target in rookie Cedric Tillman. Finally, the Browns also grabbed former Watson favorite target Jordan Akins to pair with top 10 tight end David Njoku.
Recognizing that he was a step behind the game all of last season, Deshaun Watson has put special emphasis on building his chemistry with the group. Early results have been encouraging.
“I think it’s (about) the timing,” Watson said during OTAs. “Being able to understand their breaks and how they get in and out of different routes and when man coverages come along, who can I rely on? Who can I go to when we need it the most? “ll those guys at the time — and of course it’s still early — have those capabilities of being that guy.”
The Verdict?
The Browns offseason often generates a lot more excitement than when they play actual football. This spring and summer have been full of optimism out of Berea. Despite all of the questions surrounding him and his play last season, the NFL still thinks a lot of Watson. PFF ranks Watson as #13 in the league. SI has him a hair’s breadth from the Top 10.
It’s a new offense. It’s a new defense. Even the special teams are… well, new.
The Browns are as likely to go 5-12 as 12-5. If Deshaun Watson is still the elite quarterback he was, the sky’s the limit. The offensive line is among the league’s best. So is the running back. The receivers are hugely talented.
If the 2023 Watson looks a lot more like the 2022 edition than the 2020 one… the Browns season will go down in flames pretty quickly. Stefanski and Berry will be the unemployed ones this time around. It’ll be hard to hold together the team’s core as it ages and players angle for pay raises.
It’s Deshaun Watson’s team now. For better or worse.
Main Photo: Jeff Lange – USA Today Sports
