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The Cleveland Browns made the biggest move of the NFL offseason in trading for Deshaun Watson. Not just by acquiring him, but by immediately signing him to a fully-guaranteed, five-year deal worth $230 million. That has the NFL world talking about how the team may finally be a Super Bowl contender.
Yet there is still one lingering problem. While Watson was not charged criminally, he still faces a long list of civil lawsuits for alleged sexual harassment and assault. This will not magically disappear.
For now, everyone is waiting to see if the NFL will hand down a suspension. Cleveland seems to believe one is forthcoming. They signed Jacoby Brissett and structured Watson's contract in a way that meant he wouldn't lose much money with a 2022 suspension.
So let's assume a suspension does come. How would Cleveland fare in his absence?
Can the Browns win with a suspended Deshaun Watson?
The first question revolves around how many games the quarterback would miss. A safe assumption, at this point, is anything in the range of four to six games. For simplicity, let's say he is out for four games. This could be seen as the best-case scenario for Cleveland.
At this point in time, the 2022 schedule has not been released. Logic would point towards the team at least having a tough opponent in Week 1 in the national spotlight, but other than that, it is impossible to say.
The next question is how Brissett would perform when leading the team. He has had moderate success as a starter, most notably when he went 7-8 in 2019 with the Indianapolis Colts. In Cleveland, the pressure is not as intense because he would only be a starter on a temporary basis. He is not tasked with being the hero to lead the team to the Super Bowl.
He can rely on the dynamic running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. As long as he avoids turnovers, the Browns have a chance to win every single game.
The Browns have a stacked roster and managed to go 8-9 with an injured Baker Mayfield in 2021. Brissett just being healthy enough to complete passes would be a welcome sign.
The Browns doing any worse than .500 with Brissett under center would be a shock, barring a total disaster by the quarterback. If he plays well and they are still losing, that points to larger problems elsewhere on the roster.
But what if Watson gets hit with a suspension of eight games or more? It would still be safe to hold a .500 expectation, but that may not be good enough in a stacked AFC.
Fans are hoping there is no suspension at all. If one is handed down, they should be able to stay in contention if Brissett plays to his ability.
