Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks; Door Open For Trey Lance?
The Cowboys’ slide has called into question their offseason decisions, with Jerry Jones‘ inactivity at the center of many discussions. The longtime owner did ultimately pay his two contract-year standouts, however, but the deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have preceded a 3-5 record.
This situation may well worsen soon, as Prescott’s hamstring injury is expected to sideline him. Tests have revealed the issue to be worse than initially suspected, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, who report a multiweek absence is on tap for the ninth-year quarterback. Although Prescott will seek a second opinion, Rapoport adds, at least a short-term absence should be anticipated.
Jones had said he was worried about Prescott’s availability for Dallas’ Week 10 matchup against Philadelphia, and the reigning MVP runner-up went through an MRI today. Prescott damaged his hamstring on a scramble against the Falcons, per AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill, but visibly aggravated it during a subsequent pass attempt. It is not yet known if IR is in play, though committing to Prescott missing four games would be a risk due to Dallas’ early-season struggles.
The injury moved two-stint Dak backup Cooper Rush into action, as the former UDFA replaced Prescott as he did in 2022 during the starter’s time away due to a finger injury. Rush is the Cowboys’ backup, but EVP Stephen Jones opened the door to some Trey Lance work (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris) as well. Lance joins Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones as 2021 first-round QB draftees in contract years as reserves. Wilson and Lance, the Nos. 2 and 3 picks that year, entered the season as third-stringers.
After it looked like Prescott would go into a contract year, the Cowboys finalized a deal hours before their Week 1 kickoff in Cleveland. Prescott’s extraordinary leverage led to a $60MM-per-year extension that included the no-tag and no-trade clauses his second deal — which also came with the QB in a unique leverage position — ended up including. This came after the Cowboys made Lamb the NFL’s second-highest-paid wide receiver. While injuries elsewhere have hurt this Cowboys edition, the Joneses have received scrutiny for not doing more to add talent elsewhere. These expenses also came months before true Micah Parsons extension negotiations are expected to begin.
Prescott, 31, has bounced back from absences before. He finalized his first Dallas extension — four years, $160MM — after a season-ending ankle injury. Dak returned and did not miss a start due to injury for the 2021 Cowboys, though he admitted this offseason his ankle injury has continued to affect him and require regular maintenance. Following the finger issue, Prescott returned that October and has not missed a start since. That streak is expected to stop at 36 games, introducing more obstacles for a struggling Cowboys squad.
Last year’s second-team All-Pro passer, Prescott sits 25th in QBR this season. The Cowboys brought down his historic cap hit this year but are tied to the former fourth-round find through at least 2027 now. Prescott is due a $47.75MM base salary in 2025, and the Cowboys will need to adjust his cap number — pushing more money into future years — due to it currently residing at $89.89MM. Even the Browns’ Deshaun Watson contract/calamity does not enter that neighborhood in terms of cap hits. The Cowboys will hope Prescott bounces back, but he received tremendous security in September.
Lance receiving work would represent the most interesting component here, as he has gone from 2022 49ers Week 1 starter to afterthought. Sam Darnold beat out Lance to back up Brock Purdy in 2023, leading to the Cowboys giving up a fourth-round pick for the former North Dakota State star. Lance’s career quickly drifted off track, and the ankle fracture he sustained in 2022 moved him to a crossroads.
No real updates have changed that status, despite a rumor indicating Lance could leapfrog Rush for the QB2 gig. That did not end up happening. The Cowboys could certainly consider going with a higher-upside play rather than Rush, though the latter has seen extensive work in Mike McCarthy‘s offense and offers more stability. At 3-5 and in a lame-duck year, McCarthy will obviously lean toward stability over development. Though, it would be interesting if ownership overruled him — given the HC’s contract status — on a potential play to see what Lance can contribute.
AFC South Notes: Colts, Levis, Texans
Anthony Richardson‘s on-field work this season created an untenable setup for the Colts, who benched their starting quarterback for 39-year-old Joe Flacco. While the Colts are not giving up on Richardson — even as rebounds from early-career benchings are less common than those leading to downward tumbles — the second-year passer will also need to adjust his preparation. The Colts want to see Richardson improve in that area, with ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder going as far as indicating the former No. 4 overall pick’s pregame prep and lack of proper awareness of his job’s importance represented a bigger reason for the benching compared to the in-game performances.
Richardson taking the unusual step to sub himself out midway through a drive became a flashpoint for the Colts, who viewed the decision in Houston as the “last straw.” It is not too surprising to see Richardson struggle with preparation, seeing as he was a one-year Florida starter who entered the draft as a raw prospect. The Colts took a gamble on a player who would not have fallen much farther in that draft, but the team that has been unable to find QB stability post-Andrew Luck is in a holding pattern now. Flacco did not produce much Sunday night in Minnesota, but Indianapolis’ adjusted plan to play the veteran and develop the rookie is still a go for Week 10.
Here is the latest from the AFC South:
- Xavier Worthy is the last man standing among the Chiefs’ Week 1 WR trio, but the Colts were connected to the former Texas Longhorns speedster in Round 1. After hosting Worthy on a “30” visit and then being connected to them shortly before the draft, the eventual Kansas City resident confirmed he spoke with the Colts during Day 1 of the draft. Worthy said the call with the Colts ended abruptly, telling Rich Eisen the Indy representative hung up on him. The Colts had made offers to trade up for a pass catcher but ended the defensive drought to open the draft by selecting EDGE Laiatu Latu at No. 15. Worthy went to the Chiefs, via a trade with the Bills, at No. 28. The Colts circled back to their WR aim by drafting Worthy college teammate Adonai Mitchell in Round 2.
- The Titans are hopeful Will Levis returns for Week 10, Brian Callahan said Monday. Levis returned the game after his shoulder injury but was subsequently parked to go through rehab. Tennessee has turned to Mason Rudolph over the past three games but plans to reinstall Levis as the starter, despite his early-season miscues, once he recovers.
- The Texans became the latest team to work out La’el Collins, doing so today. Houston also brought in Tremayne Anchrum and Ike Boettger, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with Anchrum signing to the team’s practice squad. The Texans placed Kenyon Green on IR with another shoulder injury last week. Collins, now 31, has been in free agency since failing to make the Bills’ 53-man roster in training camp. The former Cowboys and Bengals RT starter has not played in a regular-season game since sustaining ACL and MCL tears in Week 16 of the 2022 season.
Commanders Gauging CB Emmanuel Forbes’ Trade Value
Adam Peters‘ Commanders regime cut ties with a handful of 2023 draft choices brought in by Ron Rivera and Co. This included bailing on third-round center Ricky Stromberg‘s rookie deal a year in. Weeks later, the top pick from last year’s Commanders draft may not be on steady ground.
Washington is certainly not a seller this year, separating the current team’s setup from the situation that led Montez Sweat and Chase Young out the door on deadline day last year. But the team is exploring help at wide receiver and cornerback. The latter area may also be a spot where a subtraction comes.
The Commanders are gauging Emmanuel Forbes‘ value on the market, per veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson. Forbes has not justified his draft slot — No. 16 overall — despite coming to the nation’s capital after elite turnover numbers in college. Forbes has started one game this season and played in five, seeing later-round prospects work in front of him.
Drafted one spot in front of Christian Gonzalez last year, Forbes has played just 37% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps this season. The team drafted the slender prospect to work in Rivera and Jack Del Rio‘s scheme, and while a thumb injury slowed him early this season, the Mississippi State alum only played 50% of Washington’s defensive snaps as a rookie. The Commanders have used Forbes as a starter in just seven games since drafting him midway through the first round. Pro Football Focus has assigned Forbes an abysmal 37.6 coverage grade this season.
Benjamin St-Juste and second-round rookie Mike Sainristil are ahead of Forbes, with multiyear Chargers starter Michael Davis also added this offseason. Noah Igbinoghene, a former Cowboys low-end trade pickup, has also started five games and logged a 67% snap share as primarily a slot defender. After not contributing much to the Dolphins’ cause despite being a former first-round pick, Igbinoghene was among the cadre of Cowboys to follow Dan Quinn to Washington. He has slid Sainristil to the boundary, cutting off a Forbes path back to the lineup.
Forbes finished his college career with six pick-sixes but checked in at 166 pounds. The previous Commanders regime liked Gonzalez as well but preferred Forbes to the eventual Patriots CB1. Forbes intercepted a staggering 14 passes in just three seasons at Mississippi State, but thus far, he has not translated into a reliable pro corner. Forbes is under contract through 2026 and would add some dead money to Washington’s payroll if traded before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.
It would cost the Commanders more than $12MM in dead cap, which would be spread between this year and next, to unload Forbes, who has more than $5MM in guaranteed salary due from 2025-26. That would also be an issue for an acquiring team, though with Forbes just 23, it would also not surprise to see a team that liked him coming out of the draft to take a flier. Of course, the Commanders would likely not fetch anything beyond a Day 3 pick at this juncture. Whether the team moves on may depend on if it acquires another corner before the deadline.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/4/24
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: DB Darren Hall
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Abraham Beauplan, DL Chris Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Justyn Ross
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: WR Marquez Callaway, LB Vi Jones
For one game, at least, the Buccaneers have the Chiefs outflanked in the wide receiver injury department. Chris Godwin is out until at least the playoffs, should Tampa Bay qualify, and Mike Evans is expected to miss at least two more games due to the hamstring injury he suffered. The team endured another blow recently, with third-round rookie Jalen McMillan sustaining a hamstring injury during a Friday practice. A former Saints regular, Callaway has not played in a game this season.
Bills To Place DE Dawuane Smoot On IR
Despite Dawuane Smoot signing a one-year, $2.5MM deal during the summer, the veteran defensive end worked his way into the Bills’ starting lineup. The AFC East leaders have turned to the former Jaguars regular as a first-stringer in each of the past four games.
Buffalo’s edge-rushing depth will take a hit, however, with Sean McDermott indicating (via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia) Smoot is headed to IR with a wrist injury. The veteran EDGE needs surgery, and while McDermott said the team hopes this is not a season-ending issue, no return timeline exists right now.
The Bills dropped A.J. Epenesa back to a place as a rotational rusher, doing so even after giving the former second-round pick a two-year, $12MM deal. This brought a Smoot move into the starting lineup. While Buscaglia indicates Epenesa’s run-game work leaves a bit to be desired, Pro Football Focus had graded the Iowa alum as better in that department compared to Smoot, who served as a starter during Von Miller‘s suspension.
Miller has not started for the Bills since his 2022 ACL tear, but the future Hall of Famer has more closely resembled his pre-injury version this season after a concerning 2023 showing. Back from a four-game ban, Miller carries three sacks into Week 10. Epenesa and Gregory Rousseau have four and 4.5, respectively. Smoot has 1.5 this season and has long been a rotational player, though he frequently supplied Jacksonville’s pass rush with support during Josh Hines-Allen‘s run.
Smoot, 29, totaled between five and six sacks in each season from 2019-22. A late-season Achilles tear in 2022 hurt his 2023 market, leading to a one-year, $3.5MM Jags deal just before last season. Smoot only notched one sack in 12 games as a backup, and the Bills brought him in as a depth piece in May. Only Smoot has managed a healthy workload as of late. He played between 47% and 68% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps from Weeks 4-8, notching three tackles for loss in that span.
With this injury occurring two days before the trade deadline, it will be interesting if the Bills — who have seen their defense hurt by key injuries in each of the past four seasons — add at least a depth player. Miller is now 35 and has two ACL tears on his medical sheet. The team is carrying six D-ends on its 53-man roster, however, with offseason pickup Casey Toohill and fifth-round rookie Javon Solomon residing behind the Miller-Epenesa duo on the depth chart. With one of those two set to start moving forward, the Bills will need to assess whether their current EDGE group is sufficient.
Trade Rumors: Panthers, Thielen, Texans, Steelers, Slayton, Giants, Dolphins, Vikings
Adam Thielen ripped off his third 1,000-yard season last year but did so for a 2-15 Panthers team. Although the Panthers notched their second win of the season, they are certainly not expected to sniff playoff contention this season. Thielen’s name has come up in trade rumors, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the 34-year-old receiver’s camp would like to catch on with a contender to close out this season. The Panthers are open to more seller’s moves, after their Diontae Johnson trade. While Carolina has some players in mind for post-2024 work, Thielen’s three-year, $25MM contract and age would make him a cut candidate next year.
Going down with a hamstring injury early this season, Thielen is in the IR-return window. That could affect his trade availability, but the possession target said (via ESPN.com’s David Newton) he expects to return in Week 10. That would obviously align with Tuesday’s deadline. It would cost the Panthers roughly $11MM — spread out between this year and next — to trade Thielen, but that would be unlikely to deter the rebuilding team if it received an offer. The Panthers’ Johnson return checked in low enough it caught plenty of attention, and with the team picking up some of the traded WR’s tab, it would not surprise if a team paid some of Thielen’s remaining money (roughly $2.4MM) to facilitate a swap.
Any player cut beyond the deadline is subject to waivers, something that could come up if the Panthers hold onto the veteran past Tuesday. Here is the latest from the market:
- Teams still interested in adding receivers include the Steelers and Texans, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance. Pittsburgh’s interest in adding a WR piece has been well known for months, and Thielen is on the radar after Christian Kirk talks fell through. While conflicting reports are coming out of Houston. The AFC South leaders have been linked to both standing pat following the Stefon Diggs injury and then exploring the market. Pelissero predicts the Steelers’ odyssey will conclude with a receiver added by Tuesday’s deadline.
- Unless Courtland Sutton is moved months after the Broncos rejected a third-rounder from the 49ers for him, Darius Slayton may be the top name available. Regardless of the reported high price the Giants have set on the sixth-year wideout, Breer adds the team has looked into trading both he and Azeez Ojulari for a bit now. Both are in contract years for a 2-7 team, with Ojulari generating extensive interest. The Cardinals were in on Ojulari, but they filled their OLB need with Baron Browning today. Also looking for EDGE help, the Falcons have checked in as well. Neither Slayton nor Ojulari want to be dealt, but the Giants are in position to strongly consider moving each. Slayton also suffered a concussion Sunday, which stands to impact his status as a trade chip. The Steelers are believed to be interested in the four-time Giants receiving leader.
- The NFL features a high number of two-win teams (nine), something that could lead to more deals over the next 23-plus hours. But the 6-2 Vikings are also believed to be open to dealing away a piece. Minnesota linebacker Brian Asamoah should be considered a trade candidate, per Breer, as the Vikings have some LB depth in Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace, Kamu Grugier-Hill and hybrid player Andrew Van Ginkel. A former third-round pick, Asamoah has never started an NFL game and would not net much in a trade.
- The Dolphins are one of those two-win clubs, having lost on a 61-yard Bills game-winning field goal in Week 9. Miami may still not be overly interested in selling, with Drew Rosenhaus indicating during a WSVN interview (h/t the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) the team has been looking into helping this year’s roster over the past few weeks. Miami having lost its past two games with Tua Tagovailoa healthy could contribute to this deadline approach, and Breer adds backup linebacker Duke Riley looms as a candidate to be dealt. But the team has made several big-ticket extension moves — including the Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle deals this offseason — in recent years, decisions that would stand to influence whether selling at the midseason point is prudent.
Raiders Undecided On OC, Considering Bringing Back Norv Turner
With Tom Coughlin helping Antonio Pierce in 2023 and as he filled out a staff this offseason, the Raiders also hired 16-year NFL head coach Marvin Lewis as assistant HC. As Antonio Pierce became a historically unusual hire due to his lack of experience as an NFL coordinator or college HC, the former linebacker has not been shy about turning to former NFL HCs for assistance during his Raiders tenure.
Another former HC is on the second-year Raiders leader’s radar. With Luke Getsy out of the picture after just nine games, Pierce said the Raiders have not determined his OC replacement. Pass-game coordinator Scott Turner, however, should be considered a likely candidate, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Now, Scott’s father — three-time NFL HC Norv Turner — is believed to be on the Raiders’ radar, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.
Scott Turner should be considered the lead candidate to succeed Getsy, Jones adds, and it would then be unsurprising if the Raiders added his father. Norv is viewed as a coach who would help in an unspecified capacity, rather than someone the team is considering to call plays post-Getsy.
The Turners worked together with the Panthers in the late 2010s under Ron Rivera; Norv served as Carolina’s OC from 2018-19 before stepping down during the ’19 slate and giving way to his son. Scott Turner became Carolina’s interim OC and then followed Rivera to Washington, where he served as the team’s play-caller for three seasons.
Now 72, Norv has 15 combined seasons of NFL head coaching experience. Given seven years as Washington’s HC, Norv later resurfaced as the Raiders’ leader (2004-05) and then replaced Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego. Norv Turner went 9-23 as Raiders HC, being in charge during the period in which the team separated from several of its Super Bowl XXXVII starters, including Rich Gannon, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. The second of Turner’s Raiders HC seasons involved the Randy Moss acquisition. The better of Moss’ two Raiders years came under Turner, though winning proved elusive during an extended stretch of futility for the franchise.
Norv Turner coached the Chargers for six seasons, three of them producing playoff berths. Although Norv has considerable HC experience, he is also quite well known for his time as Jimmy Johnson‘s OC for the Cowboys’ 1992 and ’93 Super Bowl-winning teams.
Following his Chargers ouster, Norv Turner served as OC for the Browns (2013) and Vikings (2014-16). Although Norv Turner coached in Washington, his tenure did not overlap with Pierce’s. Washington added Pierce as a UDFA in 2001, months after Dan Snyder fired Turner. The Las Vegas HC had also considered hiring Hue Jackson this offseason but did not, adding former Dolphins HC Joe Philbin instead. If/when Scott Turner is officially elevated, the Raiders may soon have three former HCs on staff helping out as well.
Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco Targeting Return By Late November
Although the Bills have found their form early and the Ravens’ dismantling of the Broncos showcases their potential at their best, the Chiefs are still unbeaten in a conference featuring no one-loss teams. The two-time reigning champions have ridden their defense this season (and in 2023, for the most part), with the Steve Spagnuolo-led group providing Kansas City’s offense a sturdy safety net.
The Chiefs have gone about strengthening a receiving corps that has been lacking since the Tyreek Hill trade, acquiring DeAndre Hopkins, and they are still believed to be looking around for more help before the deadline. Andy Reid‘s team is also expected to have its top running back ready before month’s end.
Reid has praised Isiah Pacheco‘s recovery from a broken fibula, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the Chiefs are expecting their top back to be ready to return in late November. This would actually be on the conservative end, as Pacheco’s mid-September surgery brought a six- to eight-week timetable. The Chiefs have been able to get by with Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine as their top options, but unlike Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, Pacheco will be a piece they are expected to have back during the regular season.
A 2022 seventh-round pick, Pacheco usurped former first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire as Kansas City’s starter before his rookie season concluded, and the Rutgers alum has been the team’s starter since. He played 17 games as a rookie and 14 last season, playing in each Kansas City playoff contest during that span as well.
While the Chiefs moved on from Jerick McKinnon as their primary pass-catching back, Perine is in place thanks to an agreement shortly after his Broncos release. Hunt has also proven capable, despite not being on the level he was before his 2018 release. Hunt has surpassed 20 carries in each of the past three games, reaching 102 yards during a win against the Saints in that span. Hunt should be expected to retain a role once Pacheco is back, but the third-year player should also be penciled in as the Chiefs’ starter once he ramps back up from the injury he suffered in Week 2. Known as a hard-charging rusher — and one with rather unusual running form — Pacheco has 830- and 935-yard rushing seasons on his NFL resume. He also accumulated 313 rushing yards during the playoffs last season.
With the Chargers exiting Week 9 with three losses, the Chiefs have some breathing room in their division and within the conference. That should allow for caution with Pacheco, who is signed through the 2025 season. But Kansas City should have its preferred RB1 back in the fold as it attempts to secure home-field advantage in the AFC for the fourth time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Browns Name Jameis Winston Starting Quarterback For Remainder Of Season
NOVEMBER 3: The Browns have named Winston the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Cabot does allow for the possibility that Thompson-Robinson could get some starts if the Browns are eliminated from playoff contention, but after his strong showing against the Ravens in Week 8 — albeit against a leaky secondary missing two starters — the job is now Winston’s to lose.
OCTOBER 23: The Browns are making another switch on their quarterback depth chart. Days after it was reported Cleveland was demoting Jameis Winston, the offseason pickup will move into the starting role.
Winston is expected to take over for an injured Deshaun Watson in Week 8, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Prioritized over Joe Flacco to be Watson’s backup, Winston was unexpectedly dropped to the emergency QB3 role as Dorian Thompson-Robinson made another leap. That was believed to be a game plan-specific adjustment, per Schultz, rather than a move that indicated Winston would continue as a third-stringer.
It is nevertheless interesting Winston was viewed as a third-stringer for any game, but Thompson-Robinson had made a similar climb last year. DTR’s progress during training camp prompted the Browns to trade Joshua Dobbs to the Cardinals last summer. The Browns have not seen much from Thompson-Robinson in games, and with the second-year passer now battling an injury, Winston represented the obvious choice to take over in Cleveland’s latest emergency circumstance.
Winston, 30, signed with the Browns on a one-year, $4MM deal. Those terms match what the Colts gave Joe Flacco, with the 39-year-old veteran confirming the Browns never made him an offer to stay. The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year had wanted to stay, expressing fondness for his Cleveland setup on several occasions. Winston, however, joined Jacoby Brissett as the Browns’ preferred options. Not wanting to go where the Patriots did for Watson’s 2022 fill-in (one year, $8MM), the Browns brought in Winston, who still counts as dead money on the Saints’ 2024 and ’25 payrolls.
Watson is believed to have backed a Winston signing, helping to explain Cleveland’s preference compared to a second Flacco contract. The former No. 1 overall pick has made 80 career starts. The runway is clear for the former Buccaneers and Saints starter to run that count to 90, barring injury. Though, the Browns — given how their season has unraveled thanks largely to Watson’s struggles — may want to give Thompson-Robinson more burn to gauge his development at some point. For now, it will be Winston, who has not been a regular starter since a 2022 injury led to his New Orleans demotion.
While Winston is best known for his high-variance 2019 season — which featured 33 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions and 5,109 yards — he played well in Sean Payton’s Saints finale before going down with an ACL tear. The Saints re-signed Winston to a two-year, $28MM deal in 2022 but ended up benching him for Andy Dalton. New Orleans’ Derek Carr deal keyed a Winston pay cut, and the NFC South club dropped its backup via a post-June 1 release this offseason.
A finger injury led Thompson-Robinson out of the Browns’ Week 7 Bengals matchup. While surgery was in play, that will not end up being necessary, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The team has since signed Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs’ practice squad. If Thompson-Robinson misses time, Cleveland’s Week 8 QB depth chart will feature Zappe backing up Winston.
Browns Brass Agreed Deshaun Watson Was Team’s Best Starter Option
The first third of the Browns’ season brought consistent scrutiny on Kevin Stefanski‘s decision to keep starting Deshaun Watson. The former Texans Pro Bowler had rarely resembled his Houston version in Cleveland and had bottomed out this season, producing the league’s worst QBR among qualified passers during his seven starts.
Weekly calls for Watson to be benched rang out, but with Browns ownership and GM Andrew Berry not making themselves available to address this big-picture issue, Stefanski continued to do so. Stefanski had kept indicating Watson would not be benched, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year shed some light on the organization’s decision-making process by confirming he had discussed the matter with Berry and the team’s ownership. It appears the parties were aligned on the decision to avoid benching the struggling starter.
While Stefanski had said ownership was not forcing him to keep starting Watson, who remains tied to a record-shattering guarantee ($230MM), ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi notes the choice to stay the course was agreed upon at all organizational levels. Watson’s Week 8 Achilles tear, of course, changed the Browns’ plan. Although the injury conceivably clouds Watson’s future in Cleveland, his guarantees for 2025 and ’26 — which are currently slated to smash NFL records in terms of cap hits — remain intact.
As many expected he would, Jameis Winston outplayed the 2024 Watson version in Week 8. The free agent pickup completed 27 of 41 passes, including a game-winner to Cedric Tillman, for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns prioritized Winston over Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to stay in Cleveland — before ultimately confirming he received no offer to return — but demoted him to the third-string level in Week 7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, however, did not hold the starting gig once Watson went down. After a promising Week 8 — albeit with a boost from some Ravens dropped interceptions — Winston appears the clear-cut Browns starter.
It is not especially surprising the upper reaches of the organization agreed to keep trotting out Watson, who was at the controls as the Browns lost five straight. The team had made a historic investment in the embattled passer, sending the Texans three first-round picks in a package that included other draft choices and greenlighting the five-year, $230MM guaranteed deal. The Browns joined the Falcons, Panthers and Saints in being willing to send three first-rounders to the Texans for Watson, but their $230MM guarantee set them apart. As Watson was on the cusp of choosing Atlanta, the Georgia native backtracked thanks to the whopping guarantee — a figure that has not been approached despite the QB market skyrocketing since.
The Watson contract, which Jimmy Haslam indicated stemmed from a Berry plan, unfolding as it has may well place the HC-GM combination on hot seats despite the Browns authorizing extensions for both this offseason. Stefanski has also given up play-calling duties for the first time in his Browns tenure, handing the role to OC Ken Dorsey. The team did not discuss changing play-callers until Week 8, Dorsey said (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson).
Stefanski’s run as a play-caller stretched back to taking over for a fired John DeFilippo as interim Vikings OC in 2018. Becoming Minnesota’s full-time OC in 2019, Stefanski landed the Browns’ HC job in 2020, arriving two weeks before Berry.
Winston’s early success reflects well on the coach’s scheme, which keyed a playoff berth in 2020 with a healthy Baker Mayfield and obviously flourished with Flacco at the controls en route to a surprising postseason berth last season. Though, with the Browns 2-6 and rumored to be prepared to make more seller’s trades following the Amari Cooper swap, Stefanski may not be out of the woods yet regarding an ouster.
Watson underwent surgery last week. Stefanski did not commit to the high-priced passer as his 2025 starter, though the veteran HC said he still believed in Watson. Thanks to the QB’s two restructures, he is tied to $72.94MM cap numbers in 2025 and ’26. Cutting Watson in 2025 would create an unfathomable $172.73MM dead cap hit, which would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction (which would certainly be necessary in the event of a release). It will now be interesting, given the money still owed to Watson, if the Browns add a starter-caliber arm in 2025.