After months of speculation, we finally know how long Deshaun Watson will be on the sidelines. The former Houston Texans star will be suspended for six weeks, but he's free to join the Cleveland Browns for practice as soon as Week 4.
Some believed that the NFL would look to make an example out of him and suspend him for an entire year, and Watson's camp was reportedly ready to sue the league if that happened. So now, the team will have to hold down the fort without him:
"Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said at the start of training camp last week that Jacoby Brissett would become Cleveland's starter in the event of a Watson suspension," reported Jake Trotter of ESPN. "Through the first week of camp, Watson took the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense, but Stefanski indicated the Browns "may adjust" their plan following Robinson's ruling."
NFL News: Browns Won't Make A Trade For Another QB
Clearly, the Browns are high on Brissett and don't think they need to add more depth a the QB position. According to NFL Network's James Palmer, they won't engage in talks for Jimmy Garoppolo or any other quarterback:
"From a football standpoint, the #browns are currently going with Jacoby Brissett for the first 6 games of the season and are not actively looking outside the building at quarterbacks," Palmer reported.
Brissett has some nice pedigree for a backup QB. He had stints with the New England Patriots and was even the starter for the Indianapolis Colts, amassing 7,742 passing yards, 653 rushing yards, 49 total TDs, and 17 INTs throughout his career.
So, even though he's not Deshaun Watson, the Browns could do a lot worse for their first six games against the Panthers, Jets, Steelers, Falcons, Chargers, and Patriots before Watson's potential debut against the Ravens in Week 7.
