![\"Browns](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2229140968_e76d3d-e1762954641531-2.jpg\")
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The Cleveland Browns could soon have to make an interesting quarterback decision.<\/p>\n
Dillon Gabriel is still the starting quarterback, but fans have called for Shedeur Sanders to start games. Yet, Deshaun Watson is inching closer to a return, as he could have his practice window activated in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
However, even if Watson is healthy, Browns insider Ken Carman doesn\u2019t think the veteran will start or play in any games this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready for someone new. I\u2019m ready for name whoever it is,\u201d Carman said on 92.3 The Fan. \u201cAs this season goes, I\u2019m ready for Shedeur. I don\u2019t have very much belief that Deshaun Watson will get his career restarted anywhere else, and even if he does, fine. The fans don\u2019t like him here; this has been a nasty chapter in our history here. I\u2019m getting Facebook invites for when the guy gets cut, for crying out loud.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t want him out there. If I\u2019m looking at it from a football sense and I\u2019m just a football coach, yeah, of course, what Albert Breer says is true. But, I\u2019m not; I talk to fans every single day of my life. And, they don\u2019t want him out there. The ones who do have just given up. You are curious to see Shedeur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carman believes Watson\u2019s time with the Browns was a failure, and he shouldn\u2019t play another game for the team, even if he is healthy.<\/p>\n
Instead, the Browns insider thinks Cleveland should stick with Gabriel and start Sanders later on in the season before finding a franchise quarterback in the offseason.<\/p>\n
Although Carman doesn\u2019t want to see Watson play for the Browns, the veteran quarterback is closing in on a return.<\/p>\n
Watson has been showing videos of himself training, and Cleveland could activate his 21-day practice window very soon, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeshaun Watson continues to make excellent progress in his comeback from a re-ruptured Achilles, but the Browns aren\u2019t opening his 21-day practice window this week,\u201d Cabot said, citing a league source. \u201cThe Browns will wait at least until least Week 12 against the Raiders to designate Watson for return from reserve\/Physically Unable to Perform. They expect to have more clarity on his timeframe over the next couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that he wasn\u2019t sure what the plan for Watson is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Stefanski said.<\/p>\n
Watson has been out for more than a year due to an Achilles injury. He had a setback in January, which resulted in a second surgery.<\/p>\n
As Cleveland was searching for their franchise quarterback, the team made a bold move to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n
The Browns acquired Watson in a package that included three first-round picks. Cleveland then signed Watson to a $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Due to his poor play and injuries, the trade hasn\u2019t worked out, and before the season, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam called the trade a big swing-and-miss.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun,\u201d Haslam said. \u201cWe thought we had the quarterback; we didn\u2019t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we\u2019ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. \u2026 (The trade) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee (Haslam) and I, so hold us accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watson went 9-10 as the starting quarterback for the Browns.<\/p>\n
While the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0suffered a lopsided 25-10 loss to the\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback\u00a0Aaron Rodgers\u00a0failed to take advantage of a few key opportunities early in the game that could have made the outcome very different. Most notably, Rodgers overthrew wide receiver\u00a0D.K. Metcalf\u00a0on a play that appeared to have a great chance of being a touchdown.<\/p>\n
But when asked about the play Wednesday, Metcalf accepted blame, saying it was his fault, not Rodgers\u2019s, for why the connection wasn\u2019t made.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a corner post, and I saw Aaron [Rodgers] roll out to the left, so I kinda broke my route a little flatter than I should\u2019ve,\u201d Metcalf told reporters,\u00a0via Pittsburgh Sports Now\u2019s Brendan Howe. \u201cI should\u2019ve kept the route high.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Steelers\u00a0WR DK Metcalf shouldered the blame for being overthrown by Aaron Rodgers on a would-be touchdown against the\u00a0#Chargers\u00a0on Sunday night:<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a corner post and I saw Aaron roll out to the left, so I kinda broke my route a little flatter than I should\u2019ve. I should\u2019ve<\/p>\n
Metcalf could have had more yards on that one overthrow than he ended up having in the entire game. Had Metcalf caught Rodgers\u2019 pass on the third-and-5 attempt in the first quarter, he likely would have scored a 41-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cMetcalf had at least three, maybe four yards, on Chargers cornerback\u00a0Elijah Molden,\u201d\u00a0Howe wrote. \u201cThe ball crashed out of reach near the 1-yard line, with the receiver in stride at the 4.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metcalf finished Sunday\u2019s contest with three catches for 35 yards.<\/p>\n
The misconnection with Metcalf on third-and-5 wasn\u2019t the only time Sunday night Rodgers delivered a high pass. So, during the game, it was pretty easy to blame the quarterback for the failed opportunity.<\/p>\n
In his postgame press conference, Rodgers didn\u2019t change the narrative that the missed touchdown was his fault.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of stuff wasn\u2019t working. We were bad on third down,\u201d Rodgers told reporters. \u201cI was just a little bit off. I missed DK [Metcalf] early and could\u2019ve been a big play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The miss to Metcalf was one of nine failed third-down conversion attempts for the Steelers in Week 10. Rodgers and company finished 2-for-11 on third down versus the Chargers.<\/p>\n
The Steelers need to showcase more third-down efficiency going forward. To improve in that area, Rodgers and Metcalf will have to display better chemistry than they did Sunday.<\/p>\n
But the positive news is both big personalities held themselves accountable for the miss in Week 10.<\/p>\n
The Steelers are asking a lot from Metcalf this year. The team had significant question marks at receiver entering 2025. Wideouts such as\u00a0Calvin Austin III\u00a0and\u00a0Roman Wilson\u00a0have done little to quiet the doubters.<\/p>\n
Without another receiver consistently getting opener, Metcalf is seeing a lot of double coverage.<\/p>\n
But he appears to be taking it in stride and not making excuses. As far as helping the Steelers receiver room, Metcalf is leading by example.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst off, I gotta continue to get open,\u201d\u00a0Metcalf told reporters Wednesday. \u201cI can\u2019t say anything if I\u2019m not doing my job first.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then, I really don\u2019t say much to anybody in the receiver room unless they come to me with questions. \u2026 These players got here on their own, so they all have a special ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metcalf has\u00a032 catches, 502 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season. He has twice as many receiving yards as every other Steelers pass-catcher except\u00a0Pat Freiermuth, who has 260 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
But Metcalf is still only averaging 3.6 receptions and 55.8 receiving yards per game, both of which are career lows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Cleveland Browns could soon have to make an interesting quarterback decision. Dillon Gabriel is still the starting quarterback, but fans have called for Shedeur Sanders to start games. Yet, Deshaun Watson…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t