Getty Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns looks on during the Cleveland Browns offseason workout at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 1, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns’ 2022 season will remain mired in peril and uncertainty until the team finally learns the fate of three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Browns have hoped to hear a decision before training camp officially begins on July 27 so that they may plan accordingly under center. Cleveland traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers on July 6, leaving backups Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs as the two options behind Watson on the depth chart.
The length of Watson’s potential suspension is the X-factor when it comes to how Cleveland decides to proceed. If his punishment is minimal, the Browns will be more inclined to roll the dice with Brissett, as they face the Panthers, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons — all beatable opponents — in three of their first four regular season games.
However, if Watson ends up staring down the barrel of a suspension ranging between a half season and a full season, Cleveland is far more likely to pursue a bonafide starter to either backup Brissett or take his place with the first-string offense.
In that scenario, both San Francisco 49ers insider Matt Barrows of The Athletic and Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus believe that Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will emerge as the Browns’ most likely and desired target.
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Garoppolo Could Salvage Browns’ Season in Place of Watson
Getty Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Along with the Browns, the trade market for Garoppolo may also include the Seattle Seahawks and the Houston Texans as potential buyers, the latter of which dealt Watson to Cleveland in March.
However, Barrows regards the Browns as the favorites among the three teams to land San Francisco’s QB based on Cleveland’s commitment to immediate winning and their league-leading $48.5 million in salary cap space, which makes absorbing Garoppolo’s nearly $27 million cap hit in 2022 more palatable than for teams in rebuild mode.
The Browns lead the NFL in salary-cap space and they run an offense similar to [Niners head coach Kyle] Shanahan’s, which would somewhat negate Garoppolo’s lost spring.
What’s more, unlike the Seahawks and Texans, the Browns are in win-now mode, which might spur them to make a move and should make them an attractive destination for a quarterback auditioning for 2023 free agency. Garoppolo would join a team with two Pro Bowl guards, a Pro Bowl running back and a head coach who calls the offensive plays.
Kyed’s argument aligns with Barrow’s in that he believes Garoppolo simply gives the Browns a better chance to compete over the long-term in a stacked conference and a formidable AFC North Division. That philosophy makes sense considering how much Cleveland has invested via acquisitions and extensions to set Watson up for, at least, a five-year run of success.
“Depending on what happens with Deshaun Watson, the most logical destination for Jimmy Garoppolo could be the Cleveland Browns,” Kyed wrote. “If Watson is suspended a full season, then his contract will toll, and it would become at least more reasonable for Cleveland to acquire another quarterback who will give them a chance to be more competitive than if Jacoby Brissett starts in 2022.”
Deshaun Watson’s Final Punishment Could Still be Weeks Away
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns listens to questions during a press conference after the team’s mandatory minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 14, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
One concern for Cleveland, however, is that they could miss the boat on Garoppolo if they are forced to wait too long before learning Watson’s fate.
The franchise has waited for weeks to learn what penalty, if any, their new signal caller will face after 24 women filed civil complaints against him alleging various forms of sexual misconduct. As of Tuesday, July 19, a total of 20 of those cases had been settled. Ten cases in which criminal charges were pursued had been previously dismissed by two separate grand juries in Texas.
However, the results of legal and civil proceedings have no bearing on the punishment Watson could be dealt for alleged violations of the NFL’s player conduct policy. The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) specifies that an independent arbiter, in this case former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, will determine Watson’s punishment.
Should she deem no suspension IS necessary, the league cannot appeal her decision. Should she issue a suspension, both the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) can issue an appeal if they find the punishment unsuitable. At that point, either NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, or someone appointed by him, will decide Watson’s final fate.
Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reported on July 12 that the league is seeking a punishment up to a full season for the quarterback, with the option to apply for reinstatement afterward. Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reported Monday that Watson and the NFLPA will file a lawsuit against the league in federal court if he ends up suspended a full season, either by Robinson’s decision or an NFL appeal and an ultimate ruling handed down by the league office.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Tuesday that a source close to the situation told him the day prior that Robinson is expected to hand down a suspension within the range of two to eight games. In that case, the Browns would be less inclined to pursue Garoppolo.
However, if the process of getting to a final suspension of eight games or fewer takes extra days or weeks due to an NFL or NFLPA appeal, Cleveland might be forced to deal for Garoppolo as insurance against an already expensive season due to the protracted uncertainty of the proceedings.