4 quarterbacks Browns could have acquired instead of Deshaun Watson

Derek Carr

Derek Carr is not a world beater by any means, especially over the last two seasons. Though he is off to a 2-0 start this year, he was 6-9 as a starter last year and benched by the Raiders before the year was out. His quarterback rating was the lowest in any one season since his rookie year, and his future in the NFL looked bleak.

The Saints, who once successfully saved Drew Brees, another quarterback the NFL world had given up on, signed Carr this offseason after attempting to first trade for him from the Raiders. Another quarterback that the Browns, had they been a bit more patient, could have acquired.

The point to be made here, looking at the stats, is that even Carr, who quite definitively saw his career decline in 2022, still looks like a more adequate solution to the Browns quarterback needs than Watson has thus far.

Carr is not a quarterback who comes off as a flashy solution to the Browns problems, but he'd probably have won them more than four games the last two years.

While Cleveland would have had to be patient to get Carr on its roster, he would have been able to start for them straightaway in 2023, and evidently at a higher level than now.

Here's how Derek Carr compares to Watson in 2022 and 2023: