Troy Aikman wonders why the Browns didn’t move on to Jameis Winston sooner given Deshaun Watson’s struggles

At the Jameis Winston Experience on Monday night, Troy Aikman wondered what might have happened in this lost Browns season.

“This is a tough league. We all talk about parity, but when it comes to our hometown team, no one wants to hear that,” Aikman said as he watched Winston throw for 497 yards and four touchdowns, along with three interceptions, including two pick-sixes, in the The Browns’ 41-32 road loss to the Broncos. “Kevin Stefanski is an outstanding football coach and he has proven it. Two-time Coach of the Year. What he did to this group last year to get them to the postseason – they started four quarterbacks, they were decimated by injuries. And I get it, this year wasn’t what people expected.

“But the albatross is Deshaun Watson. Does it look different if you go to Jameis Winston earlier in the year? Because I would say that the defensive problems have at least a small part to do with how inept the offense was at moving the football. I think it affected the defensive game as well.”

The Browns (3-9) are in the running for the No. 1 seed, but have shown some grit with Winston under center compared to the lifeless play with Watson at the helm.

Watson, who received the NFL’s first fully guaranteed contract, led the Browns to a 1-6 record, throwing just five touchdowns to three interceptions.

The Browns never scored 20 points in a game with him under center before he tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7 against the Bengals.

Some had speculated whether Cleveland should have removed Watson as a starter before his injury, although his contract certainly factors in such an important decision.

Cleveland is 2-3 with Winston in the starting lineup, including surprise wins over the Steelers and Ravens, and has played much better football for the most part with him leading the way.

Thanks to the Winston-Jerry Jeudy combination, the Browns almost escaped Denver with a win on Monday, but a late pick-six ended any hopes of a comeback.

“You can’t help but wonder what this year would have looked like for Cleveland if Jameis had taken over from the start — or at least much earlier than he did,” Aikman said. “I know Deshaun Watson is going down with a torn Achilles, but it was a real struggle watching him offensively.”

Aikman and ESPN analyst Joe Buck delved into the topic when they discussed Cleveland’s inspired play on Monday in a game that didn’t really matter for the Browns.

The team entered the year with high hopes after unexpectedly making the playoffs last year when Joe Flacco replaced the injured Watson, but has been one of the NFL’s bigger disappointments this year.

How the Browns handle the quarterback position going forward will be a big offseason storyline since Watson is under contract for two more seasons.

“Yes, (Stefanski) is the reigning Coach of the Year. But it was a disappointing season,” Buck said. “But these guys still play for him. They play defense, they play offense and they give Denver a game here (Monday).”