The Browns are hoping for a healthy season from Deshaun Watson in 2024, but that won’t stop the front office from pursuing a top-end backup. While the team navigates Joe Flacco‘s free agency, the Browns are eyeing another notable quarterback. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Browns are interested in Jameis Winston as a backup QB.
Winston has been in New Orleans since 2020, and despite several changes atop the depth chart, he’s continued to serve as a fill-in at quarterback. As a result, the former first-overall pick was reportedly seeking a starting gig as he weighs free-agent offers this time around. The 30-year-old has not played a full season as a starter since 2019, the year of his infamous 33-touchdown, 30-interception campaign with the Buccaneers
Of course, finding a QB1 job would be easier said than done, as few teams would simply hand the reins to Winston. For what it’s worth, the veteran has looked good as a backup in New Orleans. The Saints have gone 6-4 in Winston’s 10 starts with the organization, and the QB has tossed 20 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions in his 21 games with New Orleans. He didn’t get a chance to start while serving as Derek Carr‘s back in 2023, with Winston completing only 25 of his 47 pass attempts while tossing two TDs and three interceptions.
The Browns lucked out with their backup plan in 2023. Flacco guided the Browns to a 4-1 record in his five starts, with the former Super Bowl winner finding the fountain of youth while tossing 13 touchdowns, his highest total since 2017. The veteran QB is reportedly looking to stick in Cleveland for the 2024 campaign, and the free agent confirmed that sentiment during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“I can tell you that, all things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place where I’d feel best about,” Flacco said (via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com). “Now, then you have to get into the world of, is someone actually going to give me a chance to play? And all the different things that go into that.
“But I can’t help but have a special feeling about Cleveland, just because of the few weeks that I spent there and how great the city was. And, listen, at the end of the day, I don’t necessarily want that to be a huge part [or] all of the decision. But I do think it will factor into the decision — if I end up having a decision to make.”
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