The 2024 season means everything for Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns.
Watson knows that. So do the NFL analysts and pundits.
Recently, Watson, who is on the mend from a shoulder injury that resulted in him missing a large portion of the 2023 season, was roasted by former Super Bowl champion James Jones on FS1's show Speak. Jones didn't hold back, claiming Watson is far from being among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.
“If we’re really, truly keeping it 100, Deshaun Watson has been one of the worst quarterbacks in our league,” Jones said on FS1’s Speak. “And I can say that because we have seen how special he could be. Since he’s got to the Cleveland Browns, there have been a lot of ‘what are you doing’ plays. We can say eventually, the Houston dude will come back. But maybe the Houston dude is gone.”
.@89JonesNTAF explains why Deshaun Watson has a lot of pressure on him to perform well this season. pic.twitter.com/HAsnPyP5zi
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 14, 2024
The criticism is fair. Watson has played in 12 games. He served an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations in 2022. He's been injured ever since. Then, when he has been healthy, Watson simply hasn't been very good. Watson has a of 81.7 with 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games for the Browns in his career.
In 2023, he appeared to be hitting his stride before he got hurt against the Baltimore Ravens. Still, in his Browns career, he has yet to play in a truly meaningful game. That is a tough pill to swallow for a quarterback who signed a $230 million contract with Cleveland.
Now, a few years removed from the trade that changed the direction of the Browns' franchise, it is a do-or-die year for Watson. He either sinks or swims.
