Could Quarterback Change Help Browns Fix Missing Element Of Offense?

Figuring out who will be starting at quarterback for the Browns at any given time this season has been like spinning a roulette wheel in Vegas. From Deshaun Watson, to P.J. Walker, to Dorian Thompson-Robinson it’s been difficult for Cleveland’s offense to get into any type of rhythm with a rotating case of characters starting under center.

The big picture impact of that QB carousel has left the Browns passing attack second worst in the league in yards per play at a clip of 5.7 and 27th in passing yards per game with 181.2 ypg. In total, they’ve scored just nine touchdowns through the air in 11 games. Maybe most damning of all, Cleveland’s -.125 offensive EPA per play is the sixth worst figure among all 32 teams.

Maybe the only constant in the passing for most of the season has been star wide receiver Amari Cooper. In the nine games where Watson and P.J. Walker were throwing the Browns top wideout the ball, he was targeted 72 times, caught 40 of those and racked up 700 yards, along with his two scores.

Cooper has been old reliable for Watson and Walker, which can’t be said when the rookie Thompson-Robinson been the team’s signal caller. In his three games under center – including a rough NFL debut against the Ravens in Week 4 – Cooper’s numbers have taken a precipitous dip as he’s caught only seven passes for 66 yards and hasn’t scored once a single touchdown. In a rare miscue by the usually sure-handed 29-year-old, he did have a two-point conversion slip through his fingers in Sunday’s loss to Denver.

Targets haven’t necessarily been the issue. Thompson-Robinson has looked Cooper’s way 20 times in his three starts, but has only connected on 35-percent of passes sent his direction, with many of them have ending up flat out uncatchable.

It’s undeniable that good things happen when the ball is in Cooper’s hands. The former Cowboy is ninth among his NFL contemporaries in yards per reception and when he hauls in four or more passes in a game the Browns are 5-2.

With all this in mind and as the Browns wait for updates daily on the status of Thompson-Robinson, who is currently in the concussion protocol, it’s fair to wonder if Kevin Stefanski being forced to start veteran backup Joe Flacco this weekend against the Rams may actually be a key to re-unlocking Cooper in this offense.

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It’s not a guarantee obviously – Flacco is well past his prime at this point and was unsigned up until two weeks ago for a reason. Last year he started just five games for the Jets with varying results, with his lone win coming, ironically, against his new team. However, for a Browns team with a dominant defense that has found it’s way to 7-4 doing just enough to win on offense, it behooves them to get more touches for one of their biggest playmakers.

Flacco seems like a safe bet to at least make that happen more consistently than Thompson-Robinson has so far this season.