NFL News: Browns make something clear to Jameis Winston about the starting QB job

If the 2024 NFL season wasn’t challenging enough for the Cleveland Browns, it took a turn for the worse with Deshaun Watson’s Achilles tear. Now, the AFC North club is starting Jameis Winston but has made his role expectations very clear.

Before the season began, many saw the Browns as potential AFC North dark horses. Unfortunately, their campaign has been a disaster, with things failing to align for the team.

Recently, the club lost Deshaun Watson to a season-ending torn Achilles. In his place, Jameis Winston was named starter, with hopes he might find a second wind in Cleveland.

Browns send clear message to Jameis Winston about the starting QB role

Jameis Winston has faced a tough NFL career. Drafted as the 1st overall pick in 2015, he entered the league with high expectations and a warm welcome from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Unfortunately, his career has been marked by inconsistency. The Buccaneers released him after 2019, and he’s since been seen primarily as a veteran backup.

This offseason, the Browns signed him to sit behind Deshaun Watson. However, with Watson’s season-ending injury, Winston has now been tapped as the starter for the remainder of the campaign.

While the team recently reaffirmed Winston’s status as starter, his role is not guaranteed long-term. Andrew Berry, the Browns’ general manager, recently suggested that Watson’s return is still possible in the future. “Yeah, I think that’s always possible,” Berry stated.

“[I]t’s really more not really my focus at this point in the year,” Berry said about Watson’s future. “Our focus is really on finishing out the 2024 season, having the team play at a higher level, and we’ll get to maybe those longer-term, or big-picture reflections at a later point in time.”

Will the Browns part ways with Deshaun Watson next year?

Following his season-ending injury, Deshaun Watson’s future with the Browns is uncertain. He has not met the high expectations set for him in his challenging tenure with the team.

Rumors suggest that the Browns may consider moving on from Watson next year. However, this would significantly impact their salary cap, which could be a key reason they haven’t yet made a decision to part ways with him.