The Cleveland Browns took a swing at reuniting with a former starting quarterback ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but their best offer came up short.
John Sabol of Fox8News in Cleveland reported via social media on Tuesday, October 31, that the Browns offered the Washington Commanders a sixth-round draft pick for Jacoby Brissett. The Commanders, however, turned down that proposal.
“#Browns offered the #Commanders a 6th-Rd pick for Jacoby Brissett, per @JPFinlayNBCS,” Sabol wrote. “This goes back to my tweet earlier this afternoon that Washington holds all the leverage and would want more in return for Brissett….”
Cleveland has made several recent decisions under center that have come back to bite them.
The Browns dealt former backup Joshua Dobbs and a seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the regular season in exchange for a fifth-round selection. Dobbs started eight games in Arizona and played competitively before that franchise on Tuesday traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth-round pick and a conditional seventh-rounder.
Dobbs won’t start for the Vikings in Week 9. However, he has a legitimate shot to compete for the starting job against rookie Jaren Hall moving forward.
Cleveland brought Dobbs back following a stint together in 2022 to replace Brissett. The Browns were unable to keep Brissett on the roster this offseason, mostly because he was looking for a shot at a starting job.
Cleveland couldn’t offer Brissett that chance, as Deshaun Watson is playing in just the second season of a five-year, $230 million contract that is fully guaranteed. That deal also guarantees that when Watson is healthy, come hell or high water, the starting job is his.
As a result, Brissett signed a one-year, $8 million deal in Washington. He is playing behind second-year QB Sam Howell and has yet to start a game for the Commanders in 2023, though his shot could come at any moment as Washington (3-5) became sellers ahead of the trade deadline and are playing for the future.
Depending on how things play out in Minnesota and Washington, two Browns backups from one year ago might end up starting for three different NFL franchises in 2023 between them.
With Dobbs and Brissett both valued elsewhere, the Browns bet on Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind Watson — assuming they needed him.
Need him they did in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, after Watson suffered a shoulder injury during a game against the Tennessee Titans the Sunday prior. The rookie QB threw for three interceptions in his one NFL start and hasn’t sniffed the field since. But Watson’s shoulder issues have persisted, which leaves Cleveland betting a season of championship-level defense on P.J. Walker.
Walker was a backup with the Carolina Panthers for three years before signing with the Chicago Bears this offseason. The plan for Walker was to backup Justin Fields in the Windy City, though the Bears quickly abandoned that idea and paid Walker $2 million just to go away in favor of undrafted D-II rookie Tyson Bagent.
The Browns (4-3) appear likely to start Walker for the third time this season when the team hosts the Cardinals on Sunday. In his two previous starts — as well as a game against the Indianapolis Colts, in which the QB took the vast majority of the offensive snaps — Walker has accounted for six turnovers and just one touchdown.