4 quarterbacks Browns could sign to backup Deshaun Watson

1. Jacoby Brissett

There were rumors the Browns tried to bring Jacoby Brissett back at the trade deadline but nothing came to fruition. They wound up doing alright with Joe Flacco but they had an interest in Brissett since he started 11 games for the franchise in 2022.

With Deshaun Watson serving his 11-game suspension, Brissett took the reins and played well overall. Cleveland was just 4-7 with him under center but there's no denying the defense was holding the team back. Perhaps if Brissett had the same defense we saw in 2023, he could have led them to a much better record (because quarterback wins are not a stat).

Brissett finished with a career-high completion percentage of 64.0 during his time in Cleveland and had 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six picks (he topped that percentage in 2023 but had just 23 attempts). He was also the king of quarterback sneaks, gaining 28 first downs on the ground — most of which came on third or fourth-and-one. He even did it without the help of a tush push.

With Watson healthy in 2023, the Browns didn't fight to keep Brissett and he landed in Washington where he was the backup to Sam Howell. He appeared in three games with no starter and was 18-of-23 for 224 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. For his career, he now has 10,574 yards with a 51-to-23 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Brissett's main issue has been when the game is on the line. He struggled in the loss to both the Falcons and Chargers during his time in Cleveland but overall, he's still one of the top backups in the NFL. And if the defense plays at the level it did in 2023, he wouldn't be in too many situations where all the pressure was on his shoulders.

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