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Not even a full 72 hours after the Cleveland Browns’ largest win of the 2023 season, expectations that had been on the rise have crashed proper onto Brownie the Elf’s face at midfield of their dwelling stadium.
Deshaun Watson, who has battled accidents all through this season, has been dominated out for the remainder of the 12 months with a fracture in his throwing shoulder. If solely the Browns had a quarterback like Josh Dobbs to take over and doubtlessly information the group to the playoffs . . .
Sadly, for the Browns, they’ve twice determined to take away Dobbs from their roster within the final two years. In 2022, he was Jacoby Brissett’s backup whereas Watson was serving his NFL-issued suspension for serial sexual misconduct. As soon as Watson was eligible to play, the Browns minimize Dobbs.
In March, they re-signed Dobbs to a one-year, $2 million contract. He had two respectable begins for the Tennessee Titans on the finish of the 2022 season. With Kyler Murray unavailable till mid-season, the Arizona Cardinals took a swing and bought Dobbs from the Browns for a 2024 fifth-round draft choose.
Dobbs has taken a star flip in his seventh NFL season. He’s at the moment beginning for the Minnesota Vikings — his fifth totally different group since November 2022. They’ve gained each video games through which he has been on the roster, and the Browns should hope that both rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson or P.J. Walker can lead the group with one of the best protection within the NFL to the playoffs. They’re going with Thompson-Robinson on Sunday.
There isn’t any means for NFL groups to plan for his or her beginning quarterback to overlook most of a season. The objective that groups normally have for a backup quarterback is for him to regular the offense for a number of weeks whereas the starter heals. In 2019, Patrick Mahomes missed two video games for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs with a dislocated patella. Matt Moore stepped in and the Chiefs went 1-1 on their solution to the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl championship in 50 years.
Watson has been coping with accidents all through this season, and even when he has been wholesome, Dobbs has largely outplayed him. Dobbs has a greater Complete QBR, thrown just one extra interception than Watson regardless of taking part in in 4 extra video games than him, and is a critical speeding menace with 62 rush makes an attempt — practically 40 greater than Watson.
The Browns’ Week 10 victory in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens was in all probability Watson’s finest sport since signing that five-year totally assured contract. He handed for 213 yards, a landing and his 16-yard scramble within the fourth quarter was the most important play throughout their game-winning drive.
Dobbs has solely been on the Vikings’ roster since Oct. 31. In Week 10, he handed for extra yards and didn’t flip the ball over, whereas Watson opened the sport with a choose six, had a greater completion proportion and averaged extra yards per cross try.
With eight weeks remaining within the common season, each the Vikings and the Browns are at the moment within the playoffs. Nonetheless, Minnesota has a agency maintain on its wild-card spot, whereas Cleveland should struggle off groups just like the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Payments.
Turning down that fifth-round choose from the Cardinals in alternate for Dobbs would have been arduous for Cleveland. That’s helpful draft capital for a participant the Browns weren’t even anticipating to take the sector season. Nonetheless, a mere hours earlier than the commerce, head coach Kevin Stefanski had introduced that Dobbs had gained the backup job over Walker and Thompson-Robinson.
Dobbs had clearly impressed the teaching workers the previous two seasons. This season, with restricted time studying two new offenses, he has been in a position to play first rate soccer. If the Browns nonetheless had Dobbs, their outlook for the remainder of the season could be a lot better than it’s proper now.
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