Browns find the one quarterback worse than Deshaun Watson to replace him

The Cleveland Browns quickly replaced Deshaun Watson on the quarterback depth chart Tuesday morning. Watson ruptured his Achilles on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals, and will miss the rest of the regular season as a result. There's a chance his Browns career came to a quick stop on Sunday as well.

In his place, the Browns will start Dorian Thompson-Robinson (if healthy), who received the snaps when Watson went down against the Bengals. Behind DTR is likely to be Jameis Winston, if he is healthy enough to take on such a responsibility. Basically, all of the Browns quarterbacks are hurt. DTR is set to receive an MRI on his thumb this week.

Still, Cleveland knows better than most teams that they need an emergency option. That quarterback, it would appear, is former New England Patriots QB Bailey Zappe.

As ESPN's Tom Pelissero notes, Zappe had been playing on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and learning behind Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz. That's...not a bad place to be, as Andy Reid is considered one of the best quarterback gurus in the NFL these days. A chance to play in Cleveland should DTR and Jameis struggle, however, is a blessing in its own right.

Browns QB depth chart after making a move to replace Deshaun Watson

The Browns want to see what they have in Thompson-Robinson, who played well in his final start of 2023 against the Bears before he suffered what appeared to be a concussion. DTR is most likely a career backup, but he's played exceptionally well in practice and the Browns preseason games, so before they start over at the position, they'd prefer to make sure the answer isn't already on the roster.

As much as the Browns locker room defended Watson on Sunday – especially after fans booed him off the field despite his injury – the front office knows it's time to move on. It'll cost an arm and a leg to get out of Watson's contract, but a quarterback with his kind of past off the field, now paired with a severe Achilles injury, will be tough to fix.

Zappe doesn't offer much upside that hasn't already been seen. He was a flash in the pan for New England to push Mac Jones just a few seasons ago. That didn't work out, and at this point in his career is a high-profile backup with starting experience. Again, it's not a bad pickup for a team lacking depth at the position, but Cleveland shouldn't expect Zappe to be their QB of the future.