Deshaun Watson is a problem. The Cleveland Browns are hoping he will suddenly turn around and become the player they envisioned when they signed him in 2022, but it’s not happening.
This is not a bold prediction, it is simply the truth. Watson has not performed particularly well since 2020 – almost half a decade.
If another player hadn’t played well for that long, he’d be done for. But Watson continues to get opportunities. Of course, the contract has something to do with it. The Browns don’t want to bench him when he’s in the third year of a five-year, $230 million deal, but they have to – unless they like losing.
Watson comes into this game with 355 yards and a completion percentage of just 58.2. He didn’t do much to improve his overall stats, managing 196 yards (and failing to reach another 200) while completing 56.8 percent of his throws. Sure, he had two touchdowns, but he also lost two fumbles.
There will be people who want to cling to the fact that they almost came back. They will also blame Cedric Tillman for dropping a pass on fourth down, but Watson is the reason they got into that situation. He holds the ball too long, misses completely open players, and is prone to turnovers. If anyone says they really believed Watson would lead the team to victory – even if Tillman had caught the pass – they are fooling themselves.
That’s why it’s time to bench him and give Jameis Winston the keys. No, Winston isn’t an elite player, but the only way for this team to win is to outplay Watson.
Cleveland still falsely believes Watson could be the player we saw in 2020. There are even some fans who still hold that hope, citing Watson’s “elite play” against Baltimore in 2023 as proof. But even that game wasn’t a full 60-minute performance from the playmaker.
The Browns came back and won as Watson completed 20 of 34 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Most of that came in the second half when he completed 14 of 14 passes for 134 yards with the touchdown. That means he completed 6 of 20 passes for 79 yards in the first half.
We keep hearing how great he was in the last 30 minutes, but ignore the first 30. Even against the Giants in Week 3, Watson was much better in the second half – after a frustrating first half.
Even if Cleveland wants Watson as a starter in the future, benching him is the only solution. He has done nothing to change what we’ve seen over the past three seasons. If watching Joe Flacco’s performances while injured didn’t wake him up, maybe being benched while healthy will finally force him to work on his on-field issues.
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