Getty Images Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns know all about drama at the quarterback position and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah took a playful swipe at the Baltimore Ravens‘ situation with Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens and Jackson were unable to agree to a contract extension during the offseason, which puts the former MVP’s future in Baltimore in limbo. Jackson’s knee injury — which has put his status for the Ravens’ Wild Card matchup against the Bengals in question — has created even further uncertainty.
The Ravens recently signed linebacker Roquan Smith to a five-year extension worth $100 million, making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league. That generated quite a response in relation to Jackson’s conundrum.
Owusu-Koramoah retweeted a clip from a user that showed a whiney Skip Bayless yelling, “It’s my turn! You told me it was my turn,” with the caption “Lamar Jackson [right now].” The Browns’ second-year LB simply added a crying laughing emoji.
Jackson will be a free agent this offseason and the Ravens will have the opportunity again to extend him or use the franchise tag. From the Browns’ perspective, they surely wouldn’t mind seeing him leave the division, with Jackson going 6-3 against Cleveland in his career.
Deshaun Watson Didn’t Meet Expectations With Browns
The Browns took a shot in the offseason to land their franchise quarterback, giving up a haul of draft picks in a trade to bring Deshaun Watson to town. It was a turbulent first year in Cleveland for Watson, going 3-3 as the starter following his 11-game suspension.
Watson completed 58% of his passes for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions over his six starts. Even he admitted that didn’t meet his expectations, although he’s bullish about the Browns’ future.
“I am looking forward to the improvements, I am looking forward to what the future holds for us and I am excited to be a Cleveland Brown,” Watson said in his exit interview. “I want the best for this city. I want the best for this organization and everyone in this locker room. Like I said before, the ultimate goal is to try to get to that Super Bowl. That is what we have to keep continuing to push for.”
Browns in Search of Reliable Backup to Watson
The Browns invested heavily in Watson, signing him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million extension after trading for him. But Cleveland is an injury away from a disaster if he goes down and simply cannot afford another failed season that would waste the primes of Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett and others.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has not been shy about spending at the backup QB position, although their cap situation will be a bit different this coming year. He brought in Case Keenum to sit behind Baker Mayfield on a healthy deal and Jacoby Brissett was called upon to fill the void in Watson’s absence this season, starting 11 games.
Brissett is likely to depart this offseason as a free agent so the Browns will evaluate their options carefully. They’ve already started to look at candidates, bringing in CFL standout Nathan Rourke for a workout on January 11.