Ready, Brissett, Go!

The news the whole league has been waiting for is FINALLY here.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve a six game suspensions to start the season. Hearing the news of the length of the suspension will be controversial, but the league said it will agree, so six games for Watson it is.

The quarterback spot is somewhat in question for the Brown early on, but seeing how the quarterback room looks, it is going to be Jacoby Brissett to start the 2022 season.

With that being said, who is he and what does he bring to the table assuming he will be the starting quarterback for the Browns for a chunk of the season.

Brissett comes into the Browns with a career record of 14-23 as a starter. He has amassed 7742 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his career. He has spent time with New England, Indianapolis, and Miami last season. And his career completion percentage of 60 percent is nothing to write home about.

Now in his time as a starter, he has targets like Gronk, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Ty Hilton, and Jaylen Waddle. Which means that Jacoby Brissett is no stranger to playing with talent. Having a sub .500 record with targets like that is less than ideal. I get it, defense plays a huge part in results. But that does not excuse never having a winning record in your career despite playing with guys who could be in the Hall of Fame one day. Starting quarterbacks just find ways to win.

I like Brissett, and I think he is serviceable. I can respect that he does not have an agent and has negotiated his own deals. Along with the fact that despite average numbers at best, he has stayed in league. Brissett has been around long enough to be a good locker room piece and a veteran presence. On the field, there is nothing special about him. He is a good story, but that is about it. Watching him does not make you interested in the game, except for occasionally, having a solid throw.

News broke early in the morning on Aug. 1, of the suspension for Watson. Per a tweet from Adam Schefter, “Former federal judge Sue L. Robinson has found that Deshaun Watson violated the person conduct policy and has suspended him six games.”

This was shorter than what most people were expecting from the judge. For the sake of this article, we are going to roll as if Jacoby Brissett beat out Joshua Dobbs and Josh Rosen. Because if he can’t do that, he should just retire.

Brissett is blessed in that he has a veteran receiver like Amari Cooper there, along with powerhouse runner Nick Chubb and great receiving back Kareem Hunt there. Meaning there is no shortage of weapons for him to utilize during the six games.

The first game is one that the Browns SHOULD be able to compete in. Jacoby Brissett NEEDS to keep the Brown afloat for the first eight games for them to have playoff hopes.

Opening the season in Carolina against presumed starter and former Brown Baker Mayfield will be a top story line in week one. The Panthers roster is ok with Baker, Robbie Anderson, and CMC. Defensively there is not a whole lot there with the departure of Hasson Reddick. This game will be one to watch strictly for the storyline, but is one Brissett should keep them in. Regardless, I like Baker getting the better in a revenge game and balling out.

Now the rest of the five games he will be playing assuming no injury. The Jets game should be a win, they are still young and learning. Pittsburgh is always a tough win because of coach Tomlin. However, with the quarterback position being a possible week-to-week battle, and the Browns defense being great, I would say Brissett needs to be ok to win that game.

Traveling to Atlanta afterwards will be one of those games no one cares about unless they are fans, or have money involved. Mariota is somewhat of a journeyman, the Falcons are rebuilding, win for the Browns.

THEN, becomes a death stretch for the Browns in my opinion. Facing the Chargers, Patriots, Ravens, and Bengals before the bye is BRUTAL. All four teams have playoff aspirations and at least two have Super Bowl dreams. This is where the Browns could potentially struggle before Watson makes his Cleveland debut.

Despite the pending return, the team could still drop four straight heading into the bye week 3-5. Going into the bye week at 3-5 would be less than ideal but not put them out of it. It would mean Brissett went 3-3 in his time as starter, which for any team is a win with a backup. 3-5 out of their bye week would keep them in the hunt for the playoffs with the extra team, plus four of the last six games are winnable, and with Deshaun Watson back, maybe even more.

In the end, will the Browns make the playoffs? I am not too sure at this moment. Do they have the ability to make it at their absolute best? Of course, they can. It really ALL comes down to Watson upon his return. When active and healthy, it is widely agreed upon that Deshaun Watson can be a top five quarterback in the league. Clearly the Browns love him and believe that seeing they gave him a massive 5-year $230 million contract. I would agree that he has that top five potential

Sadly, or happily depending on how it goes, Cleveland’s playoff ability may just rest in the hands of Jacoby Brissett. The Browns defense is great enough to hold up their end of the bargain. They have one of the better defenses in the leagues with guys like Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney up front.

Offensively, there are enough weapons around to make sure the Browns are competing on that side of the ball as well. It all banks on the quarterback.

So Cleveland fans, get ready to bear down the hatches. Your hopes and dreams for the postseason may just rest on the shoulders of Jacoby Brissett and those first six games of the season.