3 bold predictions for Browns 2022 season

1. Browns bold prediction: QB Deshaun Watson does not play in 2022

When the Browns kick off this season Sunday afternoon at Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers, Jacoby Brissett is expected to line up behind center for Kevin Stefanski’s club.

The team currently employs five quarterbacks, none of which has ever played for this organization. Behind Brissett on the depth chart is fellow newcomer Josh Dobbs followed by former Vikings’ third-round draft choice Kellen Mond. Josh Rosen is a member of the practice squad. And Deshaun Watson is currently serving an 11-game suspension.

The latter is eligible to return to the field in Week 13. One of the points here is that Brissett will become the Browns’ 33rd different starting signal-caller dating back to the team’s return to the National Football League in 1999 as an expansion team. And that number will grow if any of the other aforementioned players wind up in the starting lineup this season.

Again, Watson can return and play in Week 13 when the Browns visit the Houston Texans. A lot has been made about the irony of the three-time Pro Bowler facing the team that dealt him to Cleveland.

But depending on how the Browns’ season unfolds, is it possible that the club activates Watson but he doesn’t take the field? If Kevin Stefanski’s team is in playoff contention, would the club sit Brissett in favor of Watson? It’s just a hunch but the 26-year-old performer may not see any playing time in 2022.