Browns stick with Watson despite the difficulties

LANDOVER, Md. – The Cleveland Browns have a problem. Well, in reality there are many problems. Basics like tackling remain a problem, penalties hamper the team on both sides of the ball – but the area where the most questions remain is the position that has been waiting for a resurgence for years.

The quarterback.

Deshaun Watson was brought to the Browns to become the franchise quarterback the organization had longed for since returning to Cleveland in 1999. The team gave the Texans six draft picks – three first-rounders – and gave Watson a guaranteed $230 million contract in return for getting him.

Watson spent most of his first season in Cleveland serving a suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, which stemmed from more than a dozen sexual misconduct allegations made against him in lawsuits during his time in Houston . The 11-game ban was served, but Watson had not played football for almost two years at that point. His first season brought with it issues that many referred to as rust.

In the six games he played in 2022, Watson posted a career-low 58.2 completion percentage. He threw for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns. The Browns finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs.

The team was looking forward to Watson playing a full season in orange and brown in 2023. The hope was that in the six games he was able to play, Watson had shaken off the rust and showcased the talent that the Browns gave so much for.

Watson struggled in his first two games of the season, posting a 55.07 completion percentage and throwing for just 389 yards with two interceptions and three fumbles between the two games. It appeared that the rust was still there. Then Watson took on the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 and there was new hope.

In one of his best games as a Brown, Watson completed 81.82% of his passes while throwing for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. But Watson injured his shoulder in that game – an injury he would try to play through but which resulted in his season ending after playing in just six games for the second straight year.

With Watson sidelined for the remainder of the 2023 season, the Browns began a quarterback carousel highlighted by PJ Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson before the team signed former AFC North foe Joe Flacco to fill the role.

The Browns took a 4-1 lead with Flacco under center and secured a playoff spot in a thrilling Week 16 primetime game against the New York Jets. The Browns lost in the Wild Card round to the Houston Texans with Flacco at quarterback, and at the end of the season Flacco became a free agent and signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason.

So two years full of question marks led to 2024 for Watson.

Watson spent the offseason undergoing shoulder rehabilitation after undergoing surgery to repair the injury that shortened his season. At the start of training camp, Watson pitched regularly with the team. He was cleared for contact in the preseason but waited until Week 1 of the regular season to play.

The shoulder appears to be doing well. Watson entered the season completely healthy. Nevertheless, the fighting has remained.

Through the first five games of the season, Watson has yet to throw for 200 yards. He threw three interceptions and fumbled five times. He averages just 4.9 yards per pass attempt. The throw is often made for a check-down, behind the sticks. When he does let it go, the passes were overturned or missed the target far too often.

Now, Watson's struggles this season can certainly be attributed to a number of things. An injury-riddled offensive line that constantly changes every week has caused pass protection to suffer and Watson to have been sacked 26 times this season. Pre-snap penalties caused the Browns to repeatedly end up behind sticks on first down, preventing them from diversifying the offense at the start of a drive. Receiver drops in ill-timed situations have ruined drives, ended games and taken away touchdowns.

New offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, brought in to revamp the offense after the team fired Alex Van Pelt, has yet to show any signs of a revitalized offense.

But valid reasons for some of the difficulties or not, the questions that have plagued Watson the last two years remain this season. They still need to be answered. He didn't play at an elite level – he didn't live up to the expectations that were placed on him when the Browns traded him away. Is it fair to expect so much from him? In a perfect world, no. But in the NFL, all eyes are on the quarterback, and that's Watson's reality.

In Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders, who didn't come into the game with a strong defense, Watson and the offense looked flat after another game this year. While Washington achieved a total of 434 yards with its rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels under center, the Browns only had 212. On third down, the Browns only managed one ball in 13 attempts. They averaged three yards per pass for just 19 yards.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski put the blame on himself. He refused to blame it on Watson.

“Start with me. Take me out. I need to get it fixed,” Stefanski said.

During the game, broadcaster Greg Olsen, who was calling the game on FOX, questioned whether the Browns should turn to backup Jameis Winston. After the game, Stefanski was asked the same thing – whether playing Winston over Watson would be an option while Watson deals with his ongoing issues.

The answer was no.

“We don’t change quarterbacks. We have to play better. I have to train better. And that’s exactly what it is,” Stefanski said.

The Browns plan to move forward with Watson under center. They continue to be vocal about his efforts for the team.

Defensive end Myles Garrett backed Watson up after the, frankly, embarrassing
34:13 loss to the Commanders.

“He’s playing his best. He's fighting to be out there. “He’s out there trying to make plays and that’s what we’re asking him to do,” Garrett said after the game. “We’re going to do it right and he’s going to be a part of it.”

At 1-4 to start the season, the Browns have more questions surrounding the team than ever before. And with 17 games under his belt as Brown, and arguably only two of which he can be proud of, many questions remain surrounding Watson.

But through it all, the Browns quarterback, with the burden of the franchise on his shoulders, is trying to tune out the outside noise as Stefanski and the Browns move forward with confidence in him.

“At the end of the day, we just have to continue to utilize what the defense gives us. I'm happy with the coach's decision. “We don’t listen to the outside world, no matter what it is,” Watson said.