There has been plenty of discussion about Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s desire to bring Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins to Cleveland. Watson made his attempt at recruiting his division rival to defect to Cleveland on QB Unplugged. While this is an admirable effort from Watson, Cleveland has much bigger issues to fix before considering adding another expensive pass-catcher.
This is not about Higgins or his ability as a receiver. Higgins is one of the better wide receivers in the league and can be a dynamic weapon just about anywhere. The problem is with the quarterback. Watson has been a massive disappointment since the Browns acquired him, and it is fair to wonder if he will ever be anything better than forgettable. His play has been too inconsistent to consider catering to his wants and desires of who he wants to throw the ball to. The focus should be building the best team around him as they can with a well-balanced roster. This means high-priced free agents and trades should be out of the question.
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A Tale Of Two Offenses in Cleveland
It would be one thing if the offense never showed signs of life post-Watson, and for a while, it didn’t. Then, Joe Flacco came to town. Flacco gave Cleveland’s offense the boost they needed, as David Njoku and Amari Cooper had strong finishes to the year that did not seem possible. Considering that an off-the-street Flacco was the best quarterback in Cleveland this season, the problem is not with the pass-catchers. It is with Watson.
The Browns have hired Ken Dorsey to be their next offensive coordinator. Perhaps Dorsey can elevate Watson’s game to an acceptable level, but one should be cautious with that hope. Watson seems beyond repair and does not seem capable of playing at a high level consistently. A new coordinator can only do so much. The same applies to a wide receiver.
Cleveland’s best foot forward is to do what is best for the team overall and not one player in particular, even if it is the quarterback. Watson has not shown enough to warrant his preferred roster decisions garnering any consideration. Maybe if he finally does not look like a bottom-third quarterback, that will change. But until then, there are much bigger issues to address in Cleveland.