4 Deshaun Watson replacements the Browns can afford in spite of his contract

It's not pretty in Cleveland right now. The offense is thoroughly broken, and mostly consists of Deshaun Watson running around the backfield and then heaving a pass to someone he only hopes is wearing a Browns jersey. He's very clearly not the answer at QB for the Browns, and though Jameis Winston is a solid backup (despite the Browns refusal to play him right now) he's not a long-term answer.

So, to the 2025 Draft the Browns go! It's hard to believe Cleveland's front office will trot out Watson again to start next season, but the Browns do still have to pay Watson, so their only route might be a QB on a rookie deal. And with Cleveland finally possessing its own first-round pick (something it didn't have the past two years, thanks to... Deshaun Watson) the team should have a host of options when it comes to replacing Watson.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

2024 stats: 1630 yards, 70.1% completion, 14 TD, 3 INT

If the Browns are ready to go all in on a new QB and aim for Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, they might need to be really bad the rest of the season. Sanders will likely be the first quarterback off the board next year, and it would be a shock if he doesn't go in the top five. He is thought of as the best overall QB prospect in this draft, and Browns fans might transcend this plane of existence the first time they watch Shedeur throw a pass after years of watching Watson do... whatever he does back there.

Sanders isn't just a product of hype at Colorado; he's a phenomenal passer and could bring some thrills to a Browns team that has been a horror show so far in 2024.

Cam Ward, Miami

2024 stats: 2219 yards, 20 TD, 5 INT, 161 rushing yards, 3 TD

If Cleveland wants to draft a QB who is on the opposite end of the "fun" spectrum from Deshaun Watson, then Cam Ward is the guy. Because he's fun. And Deshaun Watson is not. At all.

Ward isn't a perfect prospect by any means, and still makes some questionable decisions as a thrower. He also makes an awful lot of plays that few (if any) Browns quarterbacks of the past two decades were physically capable of making. He's as fun as any player in college football, and plays the game with a joy you don't often see on this high of a level.

Maybe it's time for a change of pace in Cleveland, who are somehow back to searching for a QB after doing that same thing for almost the entire 2000s and 2010s. Ward isn't a guarantee to save a franchise, but he's a guarantee to look cool no matter what, so that should count for something.

Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

2024 stats: 2000 yards, 73.4% completion, 13 TD, 2 INT, 156 rushing yards

If Cleveland isn't quite ready to spend a first-round pick on a QB while still paying Watson a boatload of money, then Jaxson Dart might be a good option for the team on day two of the 2025 Draft. Dart is posting career-highs in almost every category this season, averaging 333 passing yards per game for Ole Miss, which improved to 5-1 with a win over South Carolina on Saturday.

He doesn't have the high-end potential that some of the QB's near the top of the draft board do, but Dart will likely be at least playable immediately, and if the Browns elect to wait for a veteran QB to become available after Watson's contract expires, Dart is a good option to bide their time with.

Jalen Milroe, Alabama

2024 stats: 1274 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT, 11.7 yards per attempt, 73.4% completion, 9 rushing TD

Even after Alabama's disastrous loss to Vanderbilt in Week 5, the Alabama QB looks sharp under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, and he'll will remain in Heisman discussions as long as Alabama can regroup going forward. He might be on the edge of the first round when the draft rolls around, so Cleveland might not have to use its cherished first-round pick on Milroe, instead finding a possible franchise QB in the second-round. That's (potentially) a great bargain.