Sitting with a 1-3 record after the first four weeks of the season, the Browns are no stranger to adversity.

Last season, they started five different quarterbacks and dealt with a litany of injuries at virtually every position on both sides of the ball. This season, four of their five starting offensive linemen are on the injury report and key offensive weapons, such as RB Nick Chubb and TE David Njoku, are also working back from injuries.

Yet, ahead of their Week 5 matchup on Sunday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn knows not to count out a Browns team that has experience working through their struggles on the field.

"One thing that I really think about Cleveland that first comes to mind is that this is a tough and resilient group," Quinn said. "I think that they showed that last year – to go through quarterback changes and injuries – and they've had some of that through the starting point of this year."

While much of Cleveland's roster returned from last season, a new addition who has quickly made his mark on the offense is WR Jerry Jeudy, who leads the Browns with 18 receptions and 197 receiving yards. Jeudy was mentioned as one of the weapons Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. is keeping an eye on.

"You have to look at who they have at their skill positions and who do you want to take away and when do you want to take them away," Whitt said. "They can push the ball vertically. They have good receivers with (Jerry) Jeudy and (Amari) Cooper out there. David (Njoku) is going to be back, he's a weapon that they haven't had. […] When you get those weapons, it changes the play caller's mindset."

Njoku is officially listed as questionable for Week 5. He was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice and did not practice on Thursday.

The Browns have struggled at times to get their passing offense rolling, with QB Deshaun Watson yet to record over 200 passing yards in a single game. Despite the Browns offense getting off to a slow start, Whitt is not downplaying the team's potential to correct its mistakes and become an explosive offense.

"Just like the ills that we've had defensively, we've worked to correct them and they're doing the same thing, they're working to correct them," Whitt said. "So, I don't anticipate that they're going to come in here making any mistakes. They're going to have guys in position that they feel gives them the best chance to win."

Quinn credited Watson's tendency to create plays with both his feet and his legs as a reason for the Commanders defense to feel concern going into Sunday's game. With a dual threat quarterback of their own in Jayden Daniels, Quinn said that the Commanders starting defense versus starting offense practice reps have been valuable in preparing for Watson.

"We all know Deshaun's ability to get outside the pocket and convert and create in that way," Quinn said. "So, any time a player is a dual threat, runs and passes and can convert throwing it or with their legs, that's a big deal."

Daniels – who said he has been watching Watson's since his days at Clemson – has gotten off to a hot start in his NFL career, completing over 82 percent of his passes. He's scored a combined seven touchdowns and has only thrown one interception.

A Daniels-led offense that has only punted once in their last three games now meets a Cleveland defense that has forced opponents to punt an average of five times per game.

A big part of Cleveland's defensive success has been the contributions from reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett who, despite playing through multiple lower body injuries, already has four sacks this season.

"Obviously, people know who they have: Myles Garrett and what he's done in this league. And you've got some other guys up front," Daniels said. "Very good linebackers that like to play downhill, very fast and then outside, the corners, they believe in them a lot and they're good players, so it'll be a good test for us."

While Daniels has only thrown one interception, the Browns defense is looking for its first of the season. Cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II had a combined eight interceptions last season but have yet to record an interception despite saying they've had opportunities to do so.

Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has had success against Cleveland defenses in the past, defeating the Browns 38-24 in 2019 and 37-14 in 2021 in his two games against the Browns as head coach of the Cardinals.

Kingsbury noted the elite group of corners that are a cornerstone of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's defense.

"Yeah, they're good players," Kingsbury said of the Browns secondary. "Ward is one of the top guys in the league and has been. They ask them to play a lot of man coverage, and those guys have held up and done a nice job. It's a really good defense, aggressive style like Coach Schwartz has had throughout his career and it'll be a huge challenge."