Uncertainty At Quarterback And Mounting Injuries Hampering Cleveland Browns

There’s re-grouping, and past there’s re-grouping 2,300 miles from home. Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and his squad are successful nan latter, unfortunate, group of re-groupers.

Some awesome re-grouping is basal for nan coach and his team, who, connected their measurement to California, stopped disconnected successful Denver, wherever connected Sunday they sewage taken to nan woodshed by nan surging Denver Broncos.

Not only did Denver administer a mile-high mauling successful a 29-12 triumph complete Cleveland, but nan nonaccomplishment near nan Browns bruised, battered, and befuddled. A fistful of cardinal Browns players, including NFL Defensive Player of nan Year campaigner Myles Garrett, were knocked retired of Sunday’s game, and their position for Sunday’s crippled against nan Rams, successful Los Angeles, is uncertain.

Rookie backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson, 1 of 4 quarterbacks who person started games for nan Browns this season, near Sunday’s crippled successful nan 2nd half owed to a concussion. Deshaun Watson underwent season-ending enarthrosis room past week.

P.J. Walker, who has started 2 games and appeared successful six this year, has thrown 1 touchdown walk and 5 interceptions, been sacked 11 times and fumbled 4 times.

Before undergoing season-ending surgery, Watson had started six games, threw 7 touchdown passes, 4 interceptions, and been sacked 17 times.

The backmost merry-go-round has spun truthful often that backmost number four, seasoned Joe Flacco, is waiting successful nan wings, and could make his Browns’ debut Sunday vs. nan Rams.

On Monday Stefanski indicated location is still immoderate dream that Thompson-Robinson, who is still successful concussion protocol, could beryllium good capable to commencement Sunday’s game. “We person P.J., we person Joe if Dorian’s not available. I’m going to fto nan protocol play out,” Stefanski said.

If there’s 1 point Stefanski and his unit person learned this play it’s really to get a backmost fresh connected short notice. That shouldn’t beryllium a problem for Flacco, should he get nan telephone connected Sunday. During his 15-year profession Flacco has plentifulness of experience, but he hasn’t started an NFL crippled since September 18, 2022, pinch nan Jets.

“I decidedly judge I tin still play,” said Flacco, who nan Browns signed to their believe squad connected November 20. The Browns are Flacco’s 4th team. He spent nan first 11 years of his profession pinch nan Baltimore Ravens, followed by 1 twelvemonth pinch Denver and 3 pinch nan Jets. So joining a caller squad is thing caller to him.

“You travel successful present and you attraction connected gathering nan caller guys that are connected your team,” he said. “It conscionable feels for illustration football, and that’s nan astir important thing.”

At his age, Flacco isn’t going to scare immoderate defenses pinch his speed, but his acquisition and consciousness for nan crippled is evidently much extended than that of Thompson-Robinson and Walker.

“It goes backmost to immoderate subordinate astatine immoderate position,” said Stefanski. “You play to their strengths. Obviously Joe is simply a different style of backmost than Dorian aliases P.J., truthful we would person to set pinch immoderate subordinate astatine that position based connected their accomplishment set.”

Whoever starts astatine backmost for nan Browns connected Sunday against nan Rams will beryllium facing nan situation of getting nan Browns’ discourtesy backmost connected track. After scoring an mean of almost 30 points per crippled successful a four-game streak successful precocious October and early November, nan Browns, successful their past 2 games, person averaged conscionable complete 12 points per game.

Part of nan logic for that is Cleveland’s receivers person abruptly been struck by an pandemic of dropped passes that has earnestly hampered nan offense.

The Browns’ vaunted defense, which had been nan champion successful nan convention successful nan first half of nan season, hasn’t been arsenic effective successful caller games. Garrett’s position for nan Rams crippled will beryllium a large facet successful whether nan Browns tin slow down nan moving crippled of nan Rams. Cleveland’s defense has fixed up a full of 341 yards rushing successful nan past 2 games.

All of this is being addressed by nan Browns, who, alternatively than flying backmost to Cleveland aft nan Denver game, past flying to Los Angeles, chose to proceed connected to California wherever nan squad is moving retired astatine UCLA this week.

The nonaccomplishment successful Denver was a bitter 1 that adds moreover much value to Sunday’s conflict pinch nan Rams.

“We conscionable didn’t do capable of nan things that you person to do to triumph connected nan road,” said Stefanski. “Way excessively sloppy pinch nan shot (fumbling 5 times), turning nan shot complete for illustration we did. Those are giveaways, giving nan crippled away, and we can’t do that. And those are nan things that we really person to attraction connected moving forward.”