Now, the Browns are facing a tough situation. With Deshaun Watson sidelined for the season, they are left with Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker as their only quarterback options.
Both of them have struggled this season, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, and their completion percentages are below 55 percent.
It’s uncertain if either of them can lead the team to success, especially with tough competition in the AFC led by elite quarterbacks.
What makes the loss of Watson even more painful is that the Browns didn’t necessarily need a star quarterback to stay in the playoff race; they just needed someone capable of effectively managing the offense.
The current quarterback situation has raised concerns about the team’s playoff prospects.
Interestingly, there’s a quarterback the Browns had on their roster, Joshua Dobbs, who is now making waves with the Vikings.
The Browns traded Dobbs to the Cardinals during the offseason, believing Thompson-Robinson was the better backup option.
However, Dobbs has excelled in different settings, first with the Cardinals and now with the Vikings, where he stepped in for an injured Jaren Hall and led the team to back-to-back victories.
The Vikings, with Dobbs at the helm, are now in a strong position for an NFC playoff spot. This success has brought attention to the question of why the Browns let go of Dobbs in the first place.
Looking back at the trade, the Browns received a 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for Dobbs and a seventh-round pick.
At the time, the trade seemed reasonable, as the Browns aimed to improve their draft capital after losing picks in the Watson trade.
Dobbs had a previous stint with the Browns, and his performance during the 2022 season wasn’t extraordinary. However, his recent success with the Cardinals and the Vikings has cast the trade in a different light.
Dobbs’ impressive statistics with both teams—63.6% completion rate, 1,995 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 62 rushing attempts, 368 rushing yards, and 5 rushing touchdowns—underscore the impact he could have had with the Browns, especially given the current quarterback challenges.
As the Browns navigate the remainder of the season with Thompson-Robinson and Walker, questions arise about why they didn’t make a move for a quarterback at the trade deadline.
Despite Watson’s injury, the team decided to stick with its existing quarterback options. When asked about the decision, General Manager Andrew Berry expressed confidence in their current quarterback room, deflecting any regrets about the Dobbs trade.
The Browns find themselves in a critical juncture, and the performance of their quarterbacks in the coming weeks will undoubtedly fuel discussions about the team’s decision-making and the potential impact of the Joshua Dobbs trade on their playoff aspirations.
