Despite an embarrassing 34-13 defeat to the Washington Commanders in Week 5, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski firmly stated his commitment to Deshaun Watson as the team’s starting quarterback.
However, one former NFL quarterback believes Stefanski should rethink that decision.
During Cleveland’s blowout loss in Landover, Md., retired NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick hinted at a potential change, taking to X to share a gif of Jameis Winston putting on his helmet from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— Ryan Fitzpatrick (@FitzMagic_14) October 6, 2024
Notably, Fitzpatrick and Winston were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons (2017 and 2018), so his support for the former No. 1 overall pick comes as no surprise. Winston did briefly replace Watson late in the fourth quarter, once the Commanders had secured their victory, completing just one pass for 16 yards.
Regardless of Fitzpatrick’s opinion—now an NFL analyst on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football—Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has no intention of making a quarterback change at this point in the season. However, Cleveland’s 1-4 start has raised concerns.
With Watson at the helm, the Browns’ offense is struggling, averaging only 15.8 points per game. They’ve converted a mere 18.2% of their third downs (12 total) and have accumulated just 1,197 total yards through five games.
Fitzpatrick, no stranger to the backup quarterback role that Winston now finds himself in, spent much of his 17-year NFL career as the top backup for nine different teams. He often found himself called upon to take over the offense.
Now, Fitzpatrick is urging Winston to step into a similar role in Cleveland.
