You don't need to be Deshaun Watson expert like Jacoby Brissett to see difference | Ulrich

CLEVELAND — Nothing started on time Friday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium because a 70-minute weather delay made the temperamental lights at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium seem like child's play.

But Jacoby Brissett eventually faced the team he led for the majority of last season.

Brissett became a beloved presence in the Browns locker room and went 4-7 as their starting quarterback during Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension.

He also established himself as a fan favorite, a media darling and a Watson expert. The two of them even went out to lunch with Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. hours before Cleveland fell 17-15 to the Washington Commanders in preseason action.

Eight months after Watson finished the 2022 season 3-3 as a starter, everyone in the NFL is wondering what he will be.

A Pro Bowl-caliber Watson would give the Browns a great chance to reach their playoff potential. A version reminiscent of last season would cause concern he'll never be worth the massive trade package — highlighted by three first-round draft picks — the Browns sent to the Houston Texans in March 2022.

Even though Brissett is no longer with the Browns, he has a better pulse on Watson than most people in the league.

“We talk here and there,” Brissett said. “We obviously talk football a lot. I obviously talk to a lot of guys on the team as well, and they're excited about how he looks compared to last year.

“Coming out here watching him, I thought he looked really good compared to last preseason. ... He looked very smooth, no hiccups and stuff like that, so I thought he did a good job.”

Backing up Sam Howell, Brissett went 6-of-10 passing for 75 yards with an interception for a rating of 43.8 and rushed two times for 16 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown on the first of his four series against the Browns.

When Brissett entered the game with 10:02 left in the second quarter, the crowd cheered and a welcome back message greeted him on the scoreboards. Radio play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan asked on the air whether he could root for Brissett because he likes him so much.

The Browns feel the same way about Brissett, and he said he appreciated the love. Several members of the organization chatted with him on the field before the game.

Now Brissett is with the Commanders after signing a one-year contract in March worth as much as $10 million with incentives, and the awkward wait for Watson to take the reins of the offense is behind the Browns.

Watson's performance will be by far the most crucial factor for the Browns in 2023, but statements about everything hinging on the quarterback are hyperbole.

Coaching matters.

Leadership and chemistry among the coaches and players matters.

Depth matters — 19 members of the 2022 Browns played all 17 games. The team had a scare when starting wide receiver Elijah Moore visited the blue tent on the sideline late in the opening quarter and went to the locker room with medical personnel. X-rays on Moore's ribs were negative, though, a Browns spokesperson said.

Moore has been a training camp star, and Watson's supporting cast on offense matters.

The other phases of the game matter. Remember last season? Brissett can attest to how good quarterback play can be spoiled by inadequate defense and special teams.

The track records of new Browns coordinators Jim Schwartz and Bubba Ventrone suggest the defense and special teams will be upgraded this year.

Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward were placed in bubble wrap and allowed to rest against the Commanders. But Cleveland's makeshift starting defense pitched a shutout in two series and generated a safety with 2:09 left in the first quarter courtesy of a holding penalty Commanders right tackle Andrew Wylie committed in the end zone while attempting to stop Browns D-end Za'Darius Smith from crushing Howell, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick with one regular-season start on his NFL resume.

As for special teams, Ventrone and the Browns need to solve whatever is going on with Cade York. After missing a 49-yard field goal wide right to open the preseason Aug. 3 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, York missed a 46-yard attempt wide right with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter against Washington.

The Browns will be patient with York because they drafted him in the fourth round last year, but they can't afford to lose games during an all-in season because they waited too long for him to snap out of a funk. He needs to provide evidence of a turnaround before the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. If he can't do it, the Browns will need another kicker.

Yet, the $230 million question remains paramount, and it can be broken into two parts:

Will Watson return to the elite form he showed from 2017-20 before he sat out 700 days amid more than two dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments, and, if not, can he reach a high enough percentage of his former self to help the Browns contend?

Watson and the first-team offense played one series, marching 71 yards to the Washington 1 against the Commanders' first-string defense. Then roster-bubble running backs Demetric Felton Jr. and John Kelly Jr. were denied entry into the end zone, with Felton stuffed for no gain on third down and Kelly losing 4 yards on fourth-and-goal.

The turnover on downs with 3:01 left in the first quarter was inconsequential. In a game with high stakes, two of Cleveland's best players who were resting — All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio and Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb — would have been vital to a goal-line scenario. Watson's top receiver, Amari Cooper, got the night off, too.

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Watson went 3-of-3 passing for 12 yards without a touchdown or an interception for a rating of 83.3. He repeatedly avoided pressure and rushed three times for 20 yards (6.7 average). He operated as if he saw the field well. He demonstrated good pocket awareness.

Watson and virtually all other Browns starters didn't play in the Hall of Fame Game. His 2023 preseason debut against the Commanders should give the Browns confidence the rust collected during his nearly two-year layoff is removable.

In an interesting answer, Watson insisted he's not thinking about rust or using any rust-related excuses this year. Rust, you see, has been a buzzword in Browns headquarters since Watson's arrival.

Regardless, just think of the contrast between Friday and Watson's lone exhibition appearance last year, when he went 1-of-5 passing for 7 yards for a rating of 39.6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He looks like a different player. For the sake of the Browns and the job security of their coaching staff and front office, they need him to be a different player.

Still, it's the preseason. Play calling and schemes are vanilla. Some frontline players are shelved. Full-fledged intensity isn't quite there.

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Joint practices Monday and Tuesday with the Philadelphia Eagles will be more meaningful to the Browns and provide a better indication of where they stand. When the two teams practiced against each other last summer, the sessions proved to be foreshadowing — with the Browns ultimately flopping en route to a 7-10 record and the Eagles going 14-3 on their way to a 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Watson needs to continue to build.

The first real test is coming in less than a month — likely without delay.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jacoby Brissett sees difference in Browns QB Deshaun Watson