The reins officially were passed to Jacoby Brissett as Browns starting quarterback on Sunday. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns begin preparing Jacoby Brissett to start at quarterback, but he won’t play until last preseason game
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Day 12 of Browns training camp …
Back in the friendly confines of CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Deshaun Watson was not booed, as happened in Jacksonville on Friday night in his first game action in 19 months.
But Watson was demoted, in a sense, as the Browns earnestly began the process of preparing Jacoby Brissett to be their starting quarterback for at least the first six games of the regular season, and probably many more.
Brissett took the field first with the ones in a pad-less practice. Watson still received a fair share of snaps, mostly with the twos. He’ll give way soon on that count to Josh Dobbs.
“It goes back to we have to get everybody ready to play,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Deshaun certainly still needs to continue to improve in all areas so he will get his work. I just think you will see the share of the majority going to Jacoby.”
Stefanski also has to get Dobbs up to speed as the backup quarterback now. Dobbs had a good debut in his first preseason game for the Browns, directing the offense to 17 points. He settled things down after Watson and the first offense was a sloppy mess for three series to start the game.
Watson look rattled on the field, overthrowing Anthony Schwartz on his first play and throwing in the dirt for Demetric Felton on his last play. He never looked comfortable with his new teammates, who in turn crumbled around him.
It probably was understandable considering Watson hadn’t played a game in more than 500 days.
The stress from his ongoing saga seemed to finally weigh on Watson. He hasn’t looked nearly that bad at practice.
Prior to the game, Watson strategically issued his first apology in a brief interview with the team’s in-house TV sideline reporter for the conduct deemed “egregious” by the NFL. Watson also had to sweat out a ruling that never came from appeals officer Peter C. Harvey. Watson and the Browns weren’t even positive he would be eligible to play until the game started.
And then he was booed lustily before each play by a sparse, yet hostile, audience in attendance.
"The crowd was pretty loud for a preseason game," noted guard Joel Bitonio, who did not play in the game. “I’m sure every stadium we go to we’ll get booed. I’m sure every time [Watson] goes out there there’ll be some sort of boos to start and then we kind of go from there.”
If it was audible in a half-empty stadium in Jacksonville for a preseason game, you wonder how bad it may get in Pittsburgh or Baltimore. And you wonder if the boos will continue when Brissett takes over for Watson.
“I’m not sure about that,” Bitonio said. “I think when Deshaun came out of the game we got booed less. But you’re booed at a road game anyway. It seems like more than ever it’s Cleveland against the world. We’ll be ready for it.”
Stefanski said, “As you can imagine, it is our job to focus on the things that are important in those game settings, and that is our job and what we are doing. We would be doing ourselves a disservice if we focused on anything that people are saying about us before the game, during the game, after the game and those type of things.”
Even so, the collateral damage of Watson’s saga may be just beginning.
What a debut
Yes, it was a great night in Jacksonville for GM Andrew Berry’s 2022 draft picks.
Third-round cornerback M.J. Emerson (a 74-yard Pick 6), fifth-round running back Jerome Ford (102 total yards, two TDs and one scintillating 41-yard run) and fourth-round kicker Cade York (3 for 3 on PATs, 1 for 1 on field goals and three touchbacks on kickoffs) led the way.
But the surprise of the night was seventh-round defensive end Isaiah Thomas, who had two sacks and one tackle-for-loss in 30 snaps off the bench.
The Browns started third-round rookie Alex Wright and six-year veteran Isaac Rochell at the end spots in place of rested starters Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.
I asked Thomas if he was motivated to by the starting snub.
“Not too much because I believe in these coaches and I believe they know what they’re doing,” Thomas said. “I find other things to motivate me. I don’t know if you guys know it but I have a daughter on the way. She’s due in 10 days or so. That was really the main thing I was focusing on. The big reason I do this is to do it for my family at home. I got something to prove, so I go out there every day with that mentality.”
Thomas’ girlfriend Kelbi is in Tulsa, OK, preparing to deliver new daughter Aubri. It must be tough for Thomas to be so far away from them.
“I know it’s for the greater good of my future and for their future, so I’m so optimistic on things, looking at the bright side of the picture,” he said. “That’s really what I look at.”
Thomas has discussed with Stefansk and Berry the logistics of leaving his job to be at his daughter’s birth.
“He is going to be there,” Stefanski asserted. “He is not going to miss that.”
Brownie bits
Veteran free agent pickup Ethan Pocic took over starting center for Nick Harris, who will have major knee surgery and is probably lost for the season. The Browns’ initial plan is to groom somebody to fill Pocic’s original role as a swing backup at guard and center. The candidates are Blake Hance, Michael Dunn and Hjalte Froholdt …
A return of JC Tretter doesn’t appear to be on the front-burner. Tretter remains unsigned, which led Bitonio to wonder if Tretter’s role as NFLPA president is a factor. “When you have a guy that’s top five, top 10 center in the league and he’s not on a roster, and he’s NFLPA president … maybe some of the owners don’t appreciate what he brings to the table on certain topics, where he’s trying to protect player safety, things of that nature … it seems a little suspicious to me,” Bitonio said …
Stefanski said Brissett and all the available ones will get a lot of work in joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday and Friday, but most won’t play in the game on Sunday. So Brissett’s only preseason action will come in the final preseason game against the Chicago Bears …
Cornerback Greg Newsome (hamstring) was still out. Stefanski said it would “not be a long time” before he returns. Rookie receiver David Bell (foot) is still out of team and 7-on-7 drills. Other notables out were cornerback Denzel Ward (foot), receiver Michael Woods (hamstring), defensive end Chase Winovich (hamstring) and Garrett (personal).
