David Njoku didn’t mince words when he spoke about the Cleveland Browns’ 2023 season.
Between the various injuries, close wins and a potential playoff berth, the veteran tight end couldn’t help but make light of the Browns’ wild season.
“It’s been a crazy-ass year this year, huh? Four quarterbacks, huh?” Njoku said this week, per the Akron Beacon-Journal. “Honestly, speaking on that, it is a testimony to how tough this team is, and I really applaud this team for just facing all the challenges that we face this year. Starting running back [Nick Chubb] goes out for the year. Starting quarterback {Deshaun Watson] is out for the year.”
It’s truly a testament to the resolve not only of the players but of head coach Kevin Stefanski as well.
The Chubb and Watson injuries were the team’s biggest, but not their only, either. Starting tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. have missed a lot of time, too, and cornerback Denzel Ward missed the past two games with a shoulder injury and could miss Week 14.
“We have to improvise,” Njoku added. “We have to figure out who we are again, adjust certain things. This is a big, big applause to the players and the coaches. Just to be able to hit that quick audible and still keep everything flowing.”
But the four quarterbacks might just be the most impressive. Watson was in and out of the lineup until he needed season-ending shoulder surgery, P.J. Walker was inefficient as a starter and Dorian Thompson-Robinson had one bad game and two OK games before he suffered a concussion.
Now, the team could be 38-year-old Joe Flacco’s after a solid Week 13 debut.
The last two teams to start at least four quarterbacks in a season – the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals in 2022 – both finished with a losing record. The Rams went 5-12 while the Cardinals went 4-13.
The Browns, meanwhile, are 7-5 and currently have the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. They’re in the control of their own postseason destiny in the final five weeks of the season.
That’s pretty crazy, all things considered.
