Troy Aikman questions why Browns didn’t shift to Jameis Winston earlier amid Deshaun Watson’s struggles

The Jameis Winston Experience had Troy Aikman wondering Monday night what could have been in this lost Browns season.

“This is a tough league. We all talk about parity, but when it comes to your hometown team nobody wants to hear it,” Aikman said while watching Winston throw for 497 yards and four touchdowns, along with three interceptions including two pick-sixes in the Browns’ 41-32 road loss to the Broncos. “Kevin Stefanski is an outstanding football coach and he’s proven that. Two-time coach of the year. What he did to that group last year to get them into the postseason — they started four quarterbacks, they were decimated with injuries. And I get it, this year hasn’t been what people thought coming in.

“But the albatross is Deshaun Watson. If you go to Jameis Winston earlier in the year, does this look different? Because I would say the defensive struggles, in at least a small part, have had to do with how inept the offense has been moving the football. I think it’s affected the defensive play as well.”

The Browns (3-9) are in the mix for the No. 1 pick but have shown some spunk 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 while throwing just five touchdowns to three interceptions.

The Browns did not score 20 points in any game with him under center before he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 7 against the Bengals.