Browns will 'stick to our plan' of starting Jacoby Brissett with Deshaun Watson suspended

The Cleveland Browns signed journeyman veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett in March months before they traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers and at a time when newly-acquired starter Deshaun Watson was facing a potential season-long suspension regarding allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. 

Since the spring, individuals associated with the Browns such as head coach Kevin Stefanski have repeatedly told anybody who will listen that Brissett will start games that Watson misses this fall. Nevertheless, people throughout the football community have continued to link the Browns with San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who lost his job to 2021 rookie Trey Lance earlier this year. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has insisted this week that the Browns don't have "much interest in" Garoppolo and "never really seemed that interested" in acquiring the 30-year-old. It seems that hasn't changed now that the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to an 11-game suspension and fine of $5M for Watson. 

"Throughout this process, trying to be respectful of it and knowing that there would finally be clarity is helpful for us and then we just stick to our plan moving forward," Stefanski said of the quarterback position on his depth chart, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "We’re pretty comfortable with how we’re operating right now, knowing that we’ll get Deshaun back after 11 games." 

Brissett began taking first-team reps in practice following Cleveland's preseason opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars last Friday. As things stand today, he will be the Browns' QB1 for the Week 1 contest at the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 11. 

"We’re excited about Jacoby and have a ton of trust in Jacoby and when Deshaun is ready, he’ll rejoin the team," Stefanski added during his comments. 

Brissett has gone 14-23-0 as a starter throughout his NFL career.