Life After Deshaun Watson: Browns Fantasy Football Outlooks for Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Elijah Moore

Right now, is probably a bad time to remind you the Cleveland Browns still have four games left on Primetime TV in 2024. After being a completely unwatchable offense that was dead last in nearly every category, quarterback Deshaun Watson was lost for the remainder of the year after suffering an Achilles injury and the Browns fell to the Cincinnati Bengals to drop their record to 1-6.

This author can confirm that being down at Huntington Bank Field when Watson got injured was an awkward experience. Half the stadium fell silent and half of them cheered. When the cart came out, a woman across the aisle stood up and yelled: “Yeah! That’s for the survivors.” While I'm never one to cheer for people getting injured, it's understandable why some might have felt that the injury was a sort of poetic justice.

So, what’s the outlook for the Cleveland Browns offense the rest of the way? Has Watson played his final game in Cleveland, and what sort of injury timeline should we expect for his recovery? Let's dive into all the details and how it impacts the future of the Cleveland Browns.

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Deshaun Watson - 2024 Fantasy Outlook and Beyond

Watson's stint with the Cleveland Browns has been anything but smooth. Since the Browns traded the farm for him back in 2022: with three first-rounders and a wallet-busting $230 million guaranteed, things have gone sideways. Watson’s tenure in Cleveland kicked off with an 11-game suspension due to violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, followed by not one, but two season-ending injuries.

What was supposed to be a slam-dunk move and secure the Browns’ quarterback spot for the foreseeable future has instead turned into a roller coaster that’s left more questions than answers about where the franchise is headed.

Watson's been a mixed bag on the field, delivering an underwhelming 34 QBR and a 9-10 record over 19 starts. This, coupled with his tumultuous start marred by off-field issues, has turned his mega-contract into a bit of an albatross for the team. The booing from the home crowd during pregame intros this season before he got injured said it all, fans are restless, and patience is wearing thin.

Watson is currently at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL, according to just about every metric out there. Rolling into Week 7, Watson's stats painted a dismal picture: he's racked up the league's lowest quarterback rating at a meager 21.6, he's been sacked a whopping 31 times, and he's limping along with the worst yards per attempt average--just 5.1 among quarterbacks who've thrown over 100 passes this season.

According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, one NFL executive mused that the league itself would breathe easier if Watson just disappeared from the scene, and a second exec echoed the sentiment, bluntly stating that Watson would find zero takers if he hit the free agent market today. "They could cut him tomorrow and no one would pick him up. I wouldn't touch that kind of toxicity with a ten-foot pole when building my team," the exec added.

Looking back at the recent Achilles injuries to other quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins, Watson could be on anywhere from a 10 to 12-month recovery timeline and may not even be ready for the start of the 2025 season.

Where do the Cleveland Browns Go from Here?

In a way, the Browns were thrown a lifeline. With Watson headed to injured reserve along with the possibility he could begin the 2025 season on the PUP list, the front office has been given a way out of this mess.

According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, the Browns received salary cap relief in 2024 due to an insurance policy they purchased before Watson went down for the rest of the season in 2023 with a shoulder injury. If Watson stays on injured reserve / PUP to start 2025, the Browns will receive additional salary cap relief, and they can just make Watson a game day inactive once he's ready to return.

From there, the Browns can just cut Watson post-June 1, 2026, after the season and spread-out whatever guarantees are left over a two-year period, which is a much more viable solution than just cutting him after the 2024 season and taking it all at once. Watson’s massive cap hits, nearly $73 million each for the next two seasons are looming large, especially with Cleveland being over the projected cap for 2025.

~25% of Deshaun Watson’s contract for 2024/25 is insured = CLE could recoup a large amount.
Key challenge: carries a $172M dead cap in 2025.

Sunk cost fallacy would suggest:
•recoup insured $58M
•cut ties, eat dead cap
•move on

Watson would likely be out of the NFL in 2025. https://t.co/4sG6XDoDQ7 pic.twitter.com/UDY43nbqoz

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 21, 2024

This financial quagmire has put the Browns in a tight spot. They’ve already restructured Watson’s deal to create some breathing room, but if they decide to cut ties before June 1, 2025, the dead cap hits are astronomical. And while they’ve got some insurance money possibly cushioning the blow for Watson’s missed games, it’s clear that drafting a new quarterback might be their best bet to reset the cap situation.

With their 2025 first-round pick potentially being in the top five thanks to their rocky start, the mock drafts are already chattering about the Browns possibly snagging a new face like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward. As the leaves turn in Cleveland, the Browns find themselves at a crossroads, and how they navigate the Watson saga could define the franchise for years to come.

What Can We Expect from the Browns Offense for the Rest of Season?

After veteran wideout Amari Cooper was jettisoned to the Buffalo Bills for a third-round pick in 2025, the organization appeared to be waving the white flag for the rest of the season.

Jerry Jeudy steps in as the team's leading wide receiver to go along with Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore. While their wide receiving corps is hardly overwhelming, the bigger question is this, does the team turn to the veteran Jameis Winston or second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback?

While Winston has had an up-and-down NFL career, he has led some exciting NFL offenses in the past while supporting multiple weapons for fantasy football. The bad? He doesn't always throw it to the right team. But if Winston gets the nod, there should be some optimism for the Browns in fantasy the rest of the way.

Should DTR get the start, then we must temper our expectations as the only safe option for fantasy on the Browns' offense at this point the rest of the way is probably tight end David Njoku.

this is TE heaven rest of season

david njoku pic.twitter.com/ng5B3MuVkW

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) October 20, 2024

DTR, plucked by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, got a somewhat rough intro to the NFL last season. Thrust into the starting lineup unexpectedly against the Ravens, thanks to Watson being sidelined due to a shoulder injury, DTR's debut was, well, a bit of a nightmare.

He tossed three picks in a tough 28-3 loss, and despite making a couple more starts, he didn't exactly set the field on fire, finishing his rookie campaign with a completion rate of 53.6%, 440 yards passing, one touchdown, and four interceptions and the Browns ended up calling veteran Joe Flacco's number after Watson needed season-ending surgery to replace him.

Fast forward to this season, and it's clear Thompson-Robinson has upped his game during the offseason. He seemed more dialed in and comfortable with the offense throughout his second training camp and preseason. But when he stepped in for Watson again last Sunday, those old ghosts of inexperience came back to haunt him, and he looked pretty swamped out there under center.

If Thompson-Robinson does wind up as the Browns' go-to QB, fantasy managers might want to keep their expectations in check. Sure, he's showing growth, and the Browns seem to believe in his ability to develop. But until he can prove that he's ready to handle the heat of regular NFL starts without getting burned, it might be wise to consider him a risky play with potentially high rewards, a very high-risk, high reward gamble.

Veteran running back Nick Chubb has been a great fantasy option in years past but given that he is recently returning from a complete knee restructure from an injury in Week 2 of 2023 that caused him to miss the entire season, we should temper our expectations for Chubb in fantasy until it's clear that he's recovered and showing some of that old burst again.

The Browns offensive line has been a disaster this season and Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller is currently on the shelf dealing with a grade 2 MCL sprain and Chubb getting back up to speed hinges largely on how soon Teller can return.

Conclusion

The NFL has seen its fair share of blockbuster trades in recent years that have turned into spectacular flops, especially when it comes to quarterbacks, a position that often seems to demand high-stakes gambling from desperate teams. Take Trey Lance and the 49ers, for instance. San Francisco went all-in, trading a boatload of picks to draft Lance No. 3 overall, envisioning him as the face of the franchise.

Fast forward, and Lance's limited game time painted a grim picture of missed opportunities and injuries, leaving the 49ers to pivot back to other options. Their only saving grace was being smart enough to draft Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, which softened the blow.

Meanwhile, Russell Wilson’s transition to Denver was expected to turn the Broncos into contenders; instead, it highlighted how even a former two-time Super Bowl-caliber quarterback could flounder without the right system and support, leading to dismal results and finger-pointing all around.

Bryce Young’s case isn’t looking much brighter with the Panthers, as the team struggles to build a competitive roster around their supposed savior, making his road ahead look daunting. Carolina traded away Christian McCaffrey in 2022 and included wide receiver D.J. Moore in the deal, which left Young devoid of any elite weapons to help him develop.

Then there’s the saga of Deshaun Watson with the Browns, a tale of caution if there ever was one. Cleveland signed Watson to a mammoth contract, betting on his star power despite off-field controversies. Watson's subsequent performances have been as underwhelming as his ability to stay on the field, turning what was supposed to be a franchise revival into an expensive headache.

These cautionary tales underline a crucial NFL truth: quarterbacks are indeed the keystone of any team, but their success hinges on far more than individual talent. A quarterback needs a solid offensive line, a strategic and sound play-caller, and a reliable receiving corps to truly shine. Teams diving headlong into these blockbuster deals must remember that slapping a high-caliber quarterback onto a roster isn't just a magical fix.

As the stakes get higher in the NFL, the blueprint for success demands not just a star quarterback but a well-rounded, well-coached team that can bring out the best in their high-priced investments.

The Browns might have been given a light at the end of the tunnel, but they will be feeling the ramifications of this one for years to come.

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