Cleveland Browns should reunite with Kellen Mond
By Randy Gurzi
![Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6781,h_3814,x_0,y_167/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/56/01hfb05w5qb3h1qn2drg.jpg)
Deshaun Watson finally got his signature win as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, but then his season was over. After securing a huge come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, Watson had an MRI on both his shoulder and ankle. This led to the discovery of a broken bone in his shoulder which will require surgery to fix.
Unfortunately, Cleveland has experience with trying to replace Watson this season since he's missed three full games as well as the majority of one other. His shoulder was initially injured in Week 3 and that led to Dorian Thompson-Robinson starting in Week 4. That wound up being a disaster and P.J. Walker took over in Week 6 following the bye week.
In Week 7, Watson was back but was pulled after just five passes. Walker led them to a win over the Colts but then followed that up with a two-interception performance in a loss to the Seahawks. In all, Walker completed just 49 percent of his attempts with one touchdown and five picks.
That's why they're turning back to DTR this time, hoping the rookie can do better with more reps. As of now, this is the right call but the Browns need more options since turning back to Walker would be devastating. There are some free agents who could potentially start but they could also bring in a familiar face in Kellen Mond.
A third-round pick in 2021, Mond spent the entire 2023 campaign as the No. 3 quarterback in Cleveland. He returned this year but was released ahead of Week 1. He's since joined the Indianapolis Colts but is currently on their practice squad and can sign elsewhere.
Mond wasn't overly impressive in the preseason, completing 56.8 percent of his attempts for 390 yards but he did have three touchdowns against two picks. He's also well-versed in the playbook after spending so much time in Cleveland. That means it wouldn't take too long to get him up to speed and he already has a rapport with the receiving corps.
Of course, this move would be to simply add a QB2 they believe would throw fewer picks than Walker. Mond might have his flaws, one of them being that he rarely took chances in practice and constantly dumped the ball off. At this point, that might be all they need their backup to do should they have to turn to him.
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