Lots of brown

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson endures boos during his team’s opening game.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had to endure some boos early in the opening game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Watson completed 7 of 15 passes for 36 yards and one interception, although he was not helped by a few drops. He was 0-7 on passes of 5 yards or more, according to ESPN.

At times he appeared timid in the pocket as Cowboys star Micah Parsons and others applied heavy pressure.

As the first half drew to a close, Fox Sports live commentator Kevin Burkhardt noticed the boos from the Cleveland crowd.

“Some early boos from the crowd for the Browns at home,” Burkhardt said.

The first half was not pretty for the Browns, Burkhardt described Cleveland’s offense as “lazy.” The Browns finished the first half with 54 yards and a first down. The Cowboys were more than superior to the Browns in time of possession.

Things got even worse late in the second quarter. Watson stared at his receiver and Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons jumped up and deflected the ball. It fell into the hands of Dallas linebacker Eric Kendricks. The Cowboys converted the loss into a field goal.

The Browns tried to run out the clock at the end of the first half, and the boos for Watson and Co. got even louder.

Deshaun Watson did not play in the preseason

The game against the Cowboys was Watson’s first game since November. He was supposed to play in the Browns’ final game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks, but the team decided against it because of a mismatch in the offensive line. Watson was also dealing with soreness in his arm, which he later described as a precautionary measure.

The Browns were especially cautious with Watson because he had to undergo surgery to repair a displaced fracture of the socket in his right shoulder, but Cleveland was confident that Watson would be able to perform despite missing live action.

I think he’s excited to get out there. I think he’s a competitive guy, he wants to be out there with his guys and play ball out there, and from what I’ve seen on video of him in the past, he’s seemed like himself in practice,” Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said before the opening game. “I’m excited to see him out there and I’m excited to watch him fly around and be himself. And that’s all we want from him. We just want him to go out there and be himself. Nothing more, nothing less. Go out there and make good decisions. Everything else will fall into place.”

Deshaun Watson was emotional in his season debut

Watson couldn’t wait to make his season debut and get back into the game.

“I think emotions are running high like everyone else,” Watson said on Sept. 4. “You know, it’s just about coming back for the first game, the start of the season, going out there and showing on the field all the hard work you’ve put in during the offseason.”

The Browns need Watson to turn things around quickly if they want to still be in the mix. Cleveland traded Watson to the Houston Texans in a blockbuster deal in the 2022 offseason. Cleveland gave up three first-round picks, as well as a third- and fourth-round pick.

So far, the big move has not paid off. Up until Sunday, Watson had only played in 12 games. He has thrown passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

JR DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stints at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national awards for sports reporting and photography. More about JR DeGroote