00:00Right now, it would appear that it's a battle between Deshaun Watson and Shador Sanders.
00:05And then there's still Dylan Gabriel here.
00:07And, you know, you wish Dylan the best because I don't care who it is, if somebody can play well.
00:12But we asked Robert, what about Deshaun Watson in the final year of his contract?
00:19What happens here with Deshaun?
00:22And here's what he had to say.
00:26Your expectations should be underneath the ground.
00:29Like, it doesn't matter.
00:30I think that's where I sit with this.
00:32Like, this ship has sailed so far.
00:35Like, it doesn't matter what Deshaun Watson is in 2026 for the Browns.
00:39I think it's just a matter of, are you at a place where the offense is, I'm not going to
00:44say competitive,
00:45where the offense can be functional with whoever's playing quarterback.
00:48Like, walking into this season hoping that you're going to get anything out of Deshaun Watson
00:52after the way that this entire thing has gone, I think would be misguided.
00:55Like, we're way, way, way past that point.
00:59I think this is about playing out the string and this team going into 2027 with a relatively clean slate
01:06and a fresh start,
01:06and you figure out what everything looks like moving forward.
01:10That's a thought that we've had.
01:12I won't, not the early part of that, but the latter part where you go into 2027.
01:20We know it's expected to be a draft that's better than this one for quarterbacks.
01:25And see what you get.
01:27See what you get in free agency, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
01:30All that said, Andy, expect nothing from Deshaun Watson this year.
01:36I get that, except...
01:38I think that's the way to go into it.
01:40I just don't know that that, but realistically, you have to expect something.
01:43Well, maybe.
01:44Let me ask you this.
01:46It's this.
01:49He's going to be on the team.
01:51He's going to be getting reps.
01:56And I would think you're going to...
01:58I would think he's going to have the opportunity to play.
02:03Yes.
02:04And so...
02:04I think the opportunity to start is there for him.
02:06I would think so, too.
02:08And I agree with him.
02:10It doesn't matter.
02:11But does that help you build anything if you have no expectations?
02:17And, again, this concept, I just completely can't wrap my head around.
02:22Deshaun Watson sitting there as a backup quarterback to Shadur or Dylan Gabriel.
02:26I have a hard time thinking that he is going to sit there and watch somebody else play quarterback.
02:34Not because he can't handle that or anything else.
02:37Because it's that, well, this was the guy you brought in to be the guy.
02:41If he's healthy and performing at any kind of a level at all, I would think he's got to be
02:49the guy.
02:52I can't argue that.
02:55I think you're 100% right.
02:57And I don't know.
02:58If you're going to look at this thing the way it seems to be presented to us,
03:05you're going to walk into this season.
03:07I don't know how you don't walk into this season saying,
03:10Deshaun, here's every opportunity to win this job.
03:12Right now, it's yours.
03:14And, you know, we like Shadur.
03:16We know where we're going with this thing.
03:18At least we think we know where we're going with this thing, I should say.
03:21It is probably one of the most confusing and under – I'm trying to think of the words.
03:28The under-nourishing is not the word I'm looking for.
03:32But, like, I want to be able to take hold of who the quarterback is going to be and move
03:37forward.
03:38Like, if it's going to be Shadur, I wish they would just say it was Shadur.
03:41But they haven't.
03:43That's what the problem is.
03:44They haven't said anything.
03:44They don't have to.
03:45That's the problem.
03:46They don't have to.
03:46Nor should they.
03:48Right.
03:48They don't have to.
03:49Because who knows what presents itself.
03:53If we have learned anything, this team will tell you nothing until it absolutely has to.
03:58Let me bounce this off of you.
04:01All right.
04:03Todd Munkin was brought in because of his offensive skill.
04:06And we just heard Robert Mays really likes him as an offensive coach.
04:10Robert, unfortunately for Todd Munkin,
04:13and probably vocalizing what we all fear.
04:16And he said,
04:17And if you get things back on track and make it a more appealing thing for a better coach next
04:21year.
04:22I thought,
04:22Oh.
04:23What?
04:24Well, he insinuated, you know, one year and done.
04:27And you make it better, maybe a better climate for a different type of coach.
04:32That said,
04:34Do you think Todd Munkin has a better chance?
04:38And he's, right now, his two quarterbacks, let's be honest, are Shadur and Deshaun.
04:42Right.
04:43And the external veteran option, one that can start.
04:46To me, there's still only one guy out there who could do that.
04:49It's Kirk Cousins, and I don't think he's coming here.
04:51Okay.
04:52And I don't think the Browns want him here, to be honest.
04:53And so, does he have a better chance, he being Todd Munkin, of coaching up Deshaun Watson and getting Deshaun
05:04close to what he was in Houston?
05:07Or does he have a better chance of coaching up Shadur Sanders and getting Deshaun Watson was in Houston?
05:16I think he's got a better shot of coaching up Shadur.
05:19Why?
05:20Because he's younger, and maybe he doesn't have the same preconceived notions that Watson would have when he walks out
05:33on the field.
05:34That it might be easier to take a, you know, a lump of clay and make it into something great
05:41than it is to have something that has already kind of been there and there's no reshaping it.
05:45I don't know.
05:47I tend to, now, in that scenario, I tend to, I would lean towards the younger guy.
05:52Because there's always the ability to learn.
05:54And what you don't know, you don't know yet.
05:57Then Deshaun knows.
05:58Like, Deshaun's been there.
05:59He gets it.
06:00He understands.
06:00He's had success in the league.
06:01Maybe that's good.
06:02Maybe that's bad.
06:03But in your scenario that you just put together, I would lean more towards Shadur Sanders than that.
06:12I don't know the answer to it.
06:14My perspective on it, though, is this.
06:16If Deshaun is healthy, okay, if his Achilles is back, if his shoulder, because of the Achilles, has had even
06:26more time to get back to what it was from a game standpoint, from an offensive system standpoint, if Deshaun
06:36has health, and let's say even 80 to 90 percent of his normal health,
06:42of what we expect him to be, I think he's got a better chance with Deshaun.
06:48And why?
06:49Because Deshaun has already showed that that guy was capable of playing quarterback at a really high level in the
06:57NFL.
06:57Well, he's already shown that.
07:00I think it's a question as to whether Shadur can ever reach that, if he can ever reach what Deshaun
07:07did in Houston.
07:09And I honestly, Andy, it just...
07:12It just comes down to attitude.
07:14Well...
07:14If you're talking about teaching and coaching guys out.
07:19Shadur has more time on his hands as far as to get it on track in his career.
07:25Deshaun has one year.
07:26If Deshaun doesn't...
07:28If Deshaun doesn't show something next year, do you think any team's going to sign him in 2027?
07:36I mean, take a look at the quarterbacks who are out there now and who are available.
07:40There's some guys out there who have had some success.
07:44You know, Carson Wentz was on his way to an MVP season when he got hurt.
07:48You know, he's put up big numbers.
07:49He still needs a job.
07:50There are other guys out there.
07:52And I would think we're going to see, and not that it's going to matter,
07:59we're going to see the most motivated Deshaun Watson that he's ever been in his entire life.
08:04I agree with you.
08:05His entire life.
08:06Or else he's done.
08:07Or else he's done.
08:08Yeah.
08:09Or maybe he's coming into it thinking, I'm done already.
08:12You'll find out real quick.
08:14I would hope if he's tried to rehab...
08:16That could be, though, don't you think?
08:17Yeah, it's absolutely a possibility.
08:19But we see all the videos.
08:22Right.
08:22We see all the work.
08:24He doesn't look like a guy who's acting like he's done.
08:27No.
08:28Which could be good for us.
08:30Well, it could be.
08:31To get some sort of, I know you don't want to hear it, ROI on what he has brought to
08:36Cleveland.
08:38Which hasn't been a whole lot.
08:40I understand that.
08:42I think the guy just needs to...
08:44The guy has to try to salvage his career if he wants to continue playing football.
08:49Now, he has a lot of reasons, dollars, to not continue playing football.
08:53Yeah.
08:54I mean, he's already been paid.
08:55Yeah.
08:55I mean, he can sail off to the sunset and never worry about anything financially the
08:59rest of his life if he's taking care of things.
09:02And that includes settling lawsuits.
09:04Even though that cost him, he's got money left.
09:07I mean, how much do you need?
09:09But I would think we're going to see the most motivated Deshaun Watson ever.
09:14There's still time to get things better.
09:17You know that.
09:18I know that.
09:18We get that.
09:20But boy, Andy, it's going to be a tough sell if they don't pull something off.
09:27And I think it's putting Todd Munkin in a tough spot.
09:29Hey, you're the offensive guru.
09:31All right.
09:31So, here's the same stuff that we rolled out last year.
09:34Please do something with it.
09:35They're going to pull something off.
09:37I don't know.
09:37At the very least, it's a draft choice.
09:39All right.
09:39So, let me throw it this way.
09:41But boy, that's tough to put on some kid you might draft with a sixth overall pick.
09:45Hi, can you be the answer to an offense that wasn't very good?
09:47It's one of 11.
09:49So, that's – I don't know how you – unless you're drafting a quarterback who touches the ball for half
09:55the plays a game, if you're lucky.
09:58I don't know how you can – you can't control your impact, whether you're a running back or wide receiver.
10:03And that's – obviously, it's on the coordinator at that point.
10:05But do you feel now more confident if they go offense at six because they've made the acquisitions on defense?
10:15Can you – now, is it an easier sell?
10:18One acquisitions.
10:20Oh, you're right.
10:21I'm sorry.
10:22Do you – offensive line.
10:23Sorry, I messed that up.
10:24Okay, okay.
10:25Do you feel like they could – I don't know.
10:29I'm just trying to think.
10:31Throw you a curveball, I guess, at six, now that they've kind of settled in on what's going on in
10:35the offensive.
10:35You mean a curveball like as in the best defensive player on the board?
10:38Yeah, that's actually –
10:38Yeah, I do.
10:40I do.
10:40I do, and I'd understand it.
10:42I would understand it.
10:43Because at this point, Andy, I don't know whether I – I don't know why I feel this way, but
10:49I kind of do.
10:51Part of it is – I think it's the overall lack of attention to the wide receiver position other than
10:58a couple of trades that this regime has had.
11:02If they draft a wide receiver at six, it almost feels like a panic to me.
11:06Really?
11:07A little bit.
11:08And I –
11:09Even if it's best available Buckeye?
11:12I know you don't want to hear that, but fans do.
11:14Well, that would be a really stupid thing to do at six.
11:18It depends who it is.
11:20Best available Buckeye is a stupid thing to do.
11:22Best available player, that would be okay.
11:25But best available – but best available player probably will be a Buckeye at that point.
11:29Well, maybe.
11:31Maybe it's David Bailey, pass rusher from Tech.
11:35You know, Andy, I – honestly, you can't base the sixth pick in the draft on where they went to
11:43college.
11:44Jeff, do you think this team has ever drafted anyone based on hype?
11:49Based on knowing that they would be able to sell tickets?
11:52Well, sure.
11:53Every team has.
11:54You're not doing that with the sixth pick in the draft.
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