Monday morning quarterbacking can snowball quickly out of hand, particularly after Week 1 of the NFL season, but the Cleveland Browns are already facing pressure when it comes to Deshaun Watson.
The Dallas Cowboys rolled into Cleveland and stomped the Browns by a score of 33-17, and the game wasn’t actually as close as the final score. Watson was 24-of-45 passing for 169 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs and a rating of 51.1.
On Sunday, September 8, the QB embarked on the third season of his five-year deal, which is worth $230 million guaranteed. He has played in just 13 of a possible 36 games (35 regular season and one playoff loss), and the Browns boast a record of 8-5 in those contests more in spite of Watson’s play rather than because of it.
Cleveland brought in former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley during the preseason to battle with second-year signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the two spots behind Watson. All three played well over the summer, though Huntley ultimately landed back in Baltimore while Winston and Thompson-Robinson assumed the No. 2 and 3 spots on the depth chart heading into Week 1.
On Sunday, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky suggested the time to replace Watson in the starting lineup has already arrived.
“I’d think long and hard about Jameis,” Orlovsky posted to his X account.
Browns Face Serious Problems on Offensive Line, Even When Healthy
Sunday’s disaster wasn’t all Watson’s fault, as the offensive line was next to helpless in the face of an elite Cowboys pass rush spearheaded by three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons.
Dallas got home to Watson six times, racking up 32 combined lost yards on those sacks. The defense also kept Watson on his back for much of the game, registering a ridiculous 17 QB hits.
Part of the problem was that both starting offensive tackles from Week 1 last year — Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin — sat out as they continue to rehabilitate knee injuries sustained in 2023. Keeping Watson upright will theoretically go a long way toward his play improving, and by extension the productivity of the offense as well.
However, Wills was near the bottom of the league last year in player grades for his position based on the analytics computed by Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Conklin has appeared in just 22 games over the past three seasons after earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2020.
The Browns are probably going to struggle in pass protection on the edges of the offensive line all season long, regardless of health, which argues even more for a switch under center.
Deshaun Watson’s Confidence Not Impacted by Loss to Cowboys
Despite how poorly Watson played and the blowout result of Sunday’s game, the quarterback offered a strong response when a reporter asked him if anything he experienced against the Cowboys impacted his self-confidence negatively.
“Hell no. I’ll always be Deshaun Watson, regardless of whoever else say otherwise, you know?” Watson responded. “So, you know, you gonna have days like this. We all have days like this when you’re playing this type of game, you know, and that’s just part of what comes with it. It comes with the territory. And especially in my position, you know, much is given, much is required. So, you know, you gotta add a little bit more to whatever it is.”
However, when a media member asked Watson what the answer was to his and the offense’s struggles, the QB was considerably more concise and vague.
“We just gotta play better,” Watson said.
