Breaking down all the Browns draft picks: Orange and Brown Talk

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns are welcoming in a new draft class after adding six new players last weekend. It was a mostly uneventful draft for the Browns, but they added some intriguing prospects to the mix.

Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe discuss the Browns draft class on Wednesday’s Orange and Brown Talk by going through each pick. They start with Mike Hall Jr. at No. 54 and go pick-by-pick through Andrew Berry’s latest draft class, all the way to Jowon Briggs.

They get into why the Browns picked each player, how they fit in the short and longterm and how each player’s role might evolve over their career with the team.

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson won't have a long leash next season if he struggles.

Browns Insider Says Team Won’t Give Deshaun Watson Long Leash

The Cleveland Browns are banking on Deshaun Watson looking like a franchise quarterback next season. If he doesn’t, a prominent insider believes the team will not hesitate to change course.

Watson hasn’t lived up to expectations so far in Cleveland following a blockbuster 2022 trade. The Browns gave up a trio of first-round picks and also handed Watson a $230 million fully guaranteed contract. So far, Watson has appeared in 12 games, passing for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson won't have a long leash next season if he struggles.

Watson has had his moments, but the majority of his time with the Browns has been underwhelming. If he struggles in his return from season-ending shoulder surgery, the Browns will consider other options, per cleveland.com insider Mary Kay Cabot.

“The Browns have the bar set high for this season, regardless of who the quarterback is,” Cabot said on the latest edition of the Orange and Browns Talk podcast.”Last year, the ship kept sailing along, even after Deshaun Watson suffered the fractured shoulder. They got Joe Flacco to come in here and get them to the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson won't have a long leash next season if he struggles.

“If for some reason Deshaun Watson isn’t the quarterback they expect him to be, if he’s not that guy, then they will try Jameis Winston and turn it over to him. Because the bottom line is they’re trying to win games. They’re not going to let down the rest of the football team to have a long leash on someone.”