Browns have 2 realistic ways to replace Deshaun Watson (and they aren't good)

The Cleveland Browns have found themselves in a uniquely terrible position: they are essentially stuck with two options to replace QB Deshaun Watson if they choose to bench him, and both currently ride the bench for the team.

QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston are the only quarterbacks Cleveland can realistically run out under center for the rest of the season. That might be why the team is hesitant to bench Watson. However, at 1-4 and following another embarrassing loss on the road, the team has to try something different. If they have no draft picks stocked to make a trade and no more money to dole out to improve this roster, they might as well save whatever remaining face they have and finally bench Watson.

Winston is a veteran who understands his role - stabilize this offense as much as possible and simply lead. He's proven he can do that with past clubs - New Orleans comes to mind as the last team to benefit from his presence.

As for Thompson-Robinson, he has yet to get a shot with the team this season, getting listed as inactive week after week as a third stringer. DTR seems to always show some flair in the preseason but wasn't able to show that off last season when he stepped in to start for Cleveland. He threw for just one touchdown in eight games, tallying up four interceptions as well.

But, if there's one thing Cleveland fans seemed to agree on after Week 5, it's that they'd at least like to see some life and some fun from this offense instead of having to watch Watson try and be QB1 again and again to no avail.

Why are the options so limited for Cleveland?

Once Cleveland's front office decided they wanted to take a humongous gamble and trade Cleveland's first and fourth round picks from 2022 until 2024, they were forced to accept that either Watson would make the Browns an immediate contender or accept that the experiment wouldnt' work out exactly as they envisioned.

It's unclear if the front office could have imagined it'd get this bad, though. Because of the trade's hit on both the team's draft pick pool and its cap, the team barely has assets to move in a trade to upgrade at the QB position. Another mistake from the FO? Watson's contract has a no trade clause. So, if they wanted to package him to another team (which, good luck with convincing anyone to take on his contract or risk taking on a QB facing yet another sexual assault suit), they couldn't.

The team tried to find a workaround to at least make the cap hit from his contract less hurtful to them. This has included altering his contract to allow them to cut him if he's suspended again this season, signaling that they aren't willing to deal with the fallout from yet another assault suit and allegation against him. But that still doesn't answer the question of who can be acquired as his replacement.

Winston and Thompson-Robinson might continue to ride the wood this season. If Cleveland feels it'd be a lost cause to try anything different, they'll keep running Watson out there and tank as they get a 1st round pick for the first time in four seasons.

That doesn't make what this team is giving to fans each week right. But, the FO made their bed. Time to lay in it.