Deshaun Watson gets a tune-up against 1-7 Arizona before the Baltimore-Pittsburgh gauntlet
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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.
Four downs on Browns (4-3) v. Arizona Cardinals (1-7)
First down: Deshaun Watson, 3.0.
At some point in this never-ending shoulder saga, somebody told Deshaun Watson the typical recovery period for a strained rotator cuff is 4 to 6 weeks. Well, Sunday marks the 43rd day – or, sixth week – since the back of Watson’s right shoulder originally was hit by Tennessee safety Amani Hooker. Who knew it would have such a profound impact on the 2023 season? Watson didn’t even leave the game until it was well in hand for the Browns, and he executed a quarterback sneak and a 43-yard TD strike to Amari Cooper after the injury. Yet the injury has been the source of discussion, disappointment and derision ever since. Watson missed Games 4 and 5, tried to play Game 6 but was awful, and then missed Game 7. So now we’re here. Game 8. And we’re still debating how much zip he had on his passes at practice and whether he’ll ever be 100 percent this year. It would seem important for Watson to complete this game against lowly Arizona and not replicate his false start against Indianapolis. So you want to believe the collaborative forces that have been evaluating Watson are right in deeming him ready to return to action. “You look at it and you see how the player is feeling and you watch how the player is doing,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. “And I think, again, just going back to this week, [we] felt that he had a really good Wednesday, really good Thursday, really good Friday. And I think he’s comfortable and he looks good.”
Clayton Tune was drafted in the fifth round one spot ahead of the Browns' Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He'll make his first NFL start Sunday against the Browns.
Second down: Name that Tune.
Arizona traded Josh Dobbs this week to Minnesota because $230.5 million franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is close to returning from January ACL surgery. But not just yet. So instead of activating Murray from injured reserve, the Cardinals elevated journeyman Jeff Driskel from their practice squad. That means rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Browns. Tune was taken 139th overall in the fifth round – one spot ahead of Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The MVP of the 2021 Birmingham Bowl and Offensive MVP of the 2022 Independence Bowl has taken one snap in a regular-season game. In three preseason games, including one start, Tune was 34 of 59 (57.6 percent) for 353 yards. He had one touchdown, one interception and was sacked four times. His passer rating was 73.6. He rushed 10 times for 44 yards. He’s 6-3 and 220 pounds and, though mobile, is not the running threat Murray and Dobbs are. “Tune played a lot in the preseason, threw a lot of passes, so we have pretty good evaluation of that stuff,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “And we have eight games of what they do on offense, and we just got to meld those together. If that’s the guy, if it’s another guy, then we have to meld it together with the individual strengths and weaknesses of that player.”
Third down: Stop that run.
After allowing 390 yards and five rushing touchdowns the past three games, Schwartz dedicated the practice week to clamping down on fundamentals to stopping the run. “I think the biggest thing is we have to stop people from running the ball across our goal line,” Schwartz said. “If we’re going to take pride in being a physical defense, that starts with run defense and it gets accentuated in the red zone. The field shrinks a little bit, and we have to do a better job of stopping the run.” There are no excuses against the Cardinals. Their top three rushers are James Conner (364 yards), Josh Dobbs (258), and Emari Demercardo (195). Conner is on injured reserve, Dobbs has been traded to Minnesota and Demercardo has been ruled out with a toe injury. The expected starting running back is Keaontay Ingram, a sixth-round pick from USC in 2022. In 18 career games, Ingram has 124 yards and one touchdown in 51 rushing attempts – a 2.4-yard average.
Fourth down: If it’s close.
Cardinals kicker Matt Prater, 39, leads all active NFL players with 1,725 career points. Prater holds the NFL record with 74 field goals of 50+ yards, and his 74.7 percent success rate (74 of 99) at 50+ is the best all time. His seven field goals of 59+ yards are an NFL record, as are his nine seasons of with at least five made field goals from 50+. He made one from 62 yards against Dallas this year. Now, Prater has been blessed to have kicked for teams based in dome stadiums (Atlanta and Detroit) and in the thin air of Denver and Phoenix. One other thing. Prater is the only kicker this year to execute a successful onside kick. Eighteen others have been unsuccessful.
The pick: Browns 16, Cardinals 13.
My record: 4-3.
