The Cleveland Browns may have just completed one of their best drafts in recent memory. With seven picks, they efficiently reinforced key areas of their roster. But perhaps the most surprising move from them was drafting not one, but two quarterbacks, despite already having three on the roster.
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At first glance, it seemed like an odd choice. But it signals a forward-thinking approach: The Browns are preparing for life after Deshaun Watson. The rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, are prospects with the potential to become franchise QBs after all.
For the first time since selecting Baker Mayfield in 2018, Browns fans have a reason to feel hopeful about the future under center. Over the past three seasons, Cleveland has endured a carousel of poor quarterback play, and for decades, the franchise has been synonymous with mismanagement and disappointment.
Among all the questionable decisions the Browns have made, none is as glaring as the Watson trade. Cleveland not only handed him a fully guaranteed $246 million contract but also sacrificed a treasure trove of draft capital, including three first-round picks.
In hindsight, the move is now considered by many to be one of the worst trades in NFL history. But they went for Watson with a lot of hope.
Watson was expected to replicate his elite form from his days in Houston. But three seasons in, he has yet to play more than seven games in a single year due to injuries. Some argue that Watson played well when he was healthy, but does that claim hold up? According to Browns analyst Jake Burns, it doesn’t.
Burns called the decision to draft two rookies “intriguing”, noting that it opens the door for real competition in the ever-changing Browns QB room. Whether Gabriel or Sanders turns out to be the long-term answer is a question for the future. But what’s clear is that their presence finally shifts the conversation away from Watson’s underwhelming tenure.
“Even though there’s a hard line between seeing this as a top 15 QB room, it doesn’t mean it’s anything less intriguing. It’s exciting for the Browns fans to think that maybe one of these rookies could be the answer,” said Burns.
“I think is a welcome relief from this time around last year when I was breaking down, hey, was DeShaun Watson actually good in those games before he hurt his shoulder? It’s a nice break from trying to justify Deshaun Watson and trying to bring something that just hasn’t been there,” he added.
Watson has played only 19 games in the three seasons with the Browns. In those games, he has thrown for 3365 yards, along with 19 TDs and 12 interceptions. He only won nine games, losing ten, and had a completion percentage of only 61 percent.
The Auburn Alum averaged only 177 yards a game and only 6.1 yards per pass attempt. He boasted a passer rating of less than 81 and took 70 sacks in those 19 games.
The Browns averaged less than 16 points a game last season when he was their starting QB. These are not the numbers a team expects when they are shelling out $246 million.
