When we made the trade (for Watson), we really looked at it as, ‘Hey, this is something that we’ll evaluate in like a 10-year time horizon because these guys (QBs) play (a long time).’ Obviously, we want him on the field more often than he’s been.
He can’t help the shoulder injuries this year, but we’re really pleased with him.
He’s very talented, he’s very hard-working. He’s adaptable and we really feel good about him moving forward.
If that’s all Berry said, then there would be reason to wonder, “Are they on a 10-year plan for what?”
But consider this from Berry’s introduction:
“It’s really not just improvement, but positioning the organization in a way where we can have our first home playoff game in 29 years – where we can consistently produce playoff teams and deep runs.
And ultimately the goal is to bring the franchise its first Super Bowl.”
The first part of Tom’s email was right: The Browns didn’t get Watson to win 10 years from now. It was a win-today move, or at least a start to win whenever his 11-game suspension ended.
In a sense, that was this season. They knew 2022 would be a mess with Watson facing all the civil lawsuits, the suspension and the off-field baggage.
Berry is talking about hosting a home playoff game in 2024 and building toward a Super Bowl.
He didn’t say that was behind the change in the coaching staff, but that’s part of the reason they parted ways with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and some others.
