Deshaun Watson had another miserable outing against the Philadelphia Eagles, furthering calls for the Cleveland Browns to bench their $230 million quarterback.
Watson wrapped up the game completing 16 of 23 passes for 168 yards with no touchdowns. He has yet to surpass 200 passing yards in a game this season. Much of the Browns’ passing production against the Eagles came through yards after the catch.
Watson has yet to deliver a performance that establishes him as the leader of the Browns’ offense this season. His timing with wide receivers appears off, leading to missed opportunities, and he’s been holding onto the ball too long, often bailing on clean pockets. To make matters worse, he’s missing routine throws, raising concerns about his rhythm and decision-making.
Watson wrapped up his outing with a stronger second half in terms of completion percentage, but most of his passes were limited to short throws, reflecting Cleveland’s reluctance to let him air it out. His lone deep attempt in the first half was badly underthrown and nearly intercepted, saved only by a collision between two Eagles defenders.
“How is Deshaun Watson still in the lineup? I don’t get it,” one fan said as the Browns trailed against the Eagles in the third quarter.
The Browns are locked into Watson’s contract, which is fully guaranteed, leaving no financial escape route. Cutting him would saddle the team with enormous cap penalties for years.
“Deshaun Watson has done nothing on the field for the Browns to warrant them giving him the benefit of the doubt or all of these chances,” a fan said. “The only reason he is still starting is because of his contract. Amari Cooper is trapped with this trash QB.”
Browns Have to Admit Failure With Deshaun Watson
While benching Watson is an option, doing so would amount to the franchise admitting they made one of the most catastrophic decisions in NFL history by trading for him. The Browns gave up a treasure trove of picks — including three first-rounders — to land Watson in 2022.
“The Browns are unserious about winning if they keep starting Deshaun Watson. This is a joke,” noted Cleveland fan Sir Yacht said on X.
If the Browns were to bench Watson, they’d turn the reins over to former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston. Cleveland signed Winston this offseason, spurning Joe Flacco, who helped lead the team to the postseason in 2023.
“Please put Jameis Winston in the game,” a fan said. “I have quite literally never seen worse quarterback play than 2024 Deshaun Watson and I am being 1000% serious.”
A stat making the rounds during the game highlighted the Browns’ struggles on third down. Before finally converting one in the third quarter, the team was an astonishing 0-for-26 on third-down attempts with Watson under center.
“It’s somehow not impossible to be this bad at football. You can luck box your way to a third down conversion,” another fan said. “Not Deshaun Watson. Please take him out.”
Browns Lose RB Jerome Ford Against Eagles
The injuries continue to mount for the Browns. Cleveland lost running back Jerome Ford early during the matchup against Philadelphia. Ford entered the matchup as the team’s leading rusher.
He had just two rushes for 14 yards before exiting with a hamstring injury. The Browns ruled him out for the rest of the matchup.
The injury to Ford comes with Nick Chubb’s return lurking. Chubb has been out for more than a year but is expected to make his triumphant return in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com
“With the Browns designating Chubb to return from the physically unable to perform list on October 3, his 21-day practice window is narrowing, and he’s expected to come bolting out of the tunnel next week against the Bengals and play for the first time since suffering the injury in Week 2 of last season in Pittsburgh,” Cabot said.
Chubb has collected 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns in 77 career games — all with the Browns. He’s averaging 84.6 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry.
