Discussing how much longer the Cleveland Browns can play Deshaun Watson, Who makes the final call and how the Browns must handle the finality if that time comes.
Brad Ward57 mins7
The
Cleveland Browns will face the
Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in what is a critical game for many reasons. First, the Browns need a win to get back to 2-2 and keep some semblance of hope alive with the fan base.
Grant Delpit called the game a must "must-win," and while in the grand scheme of the NFL season, it isn't because it is only week four, it does feel that way with the fatalistic narratives surrounding the Brown's start to the season and quarterback Deshaun Watson's performance so far. The game will impact how the Browns proceed through this season, but the most important thing on the organization's plate is handling Watson for the rest of the season.
It has become increasingly apparent that Watson is struggling to see the field, trust his eyes, and make throws on time. While the offensive line play and wide receiver drops have hurt the offense, Watson's play has only compounded their issues and failed to make the situation any better.
Watson's play has fallen off to a point that is worse than even his first two seasons with the Browns, and the pressure is only growing as he got defensive with the press this week. Many have curbed their expectations from 2020 Watson to just a serviceable quarterback, but that seems further from reality than at any other point during his tenure in Cleveland.
Watson has managed to complete only 57.8% of his passing attempts over the course of three games. His completion percentage ranks as the third-lowest in the league among quarterbacks who have started all three games, only surpassing the performances of fellow underperformers Anthony Richardson and Trevor Lawrence. Watson's 4.8 yards per attempt puts him in bad company, as the only quarterback worse is Bryce Young at 4.4. His adjusted quarterback rating of 22.5 also ranks just above Young's dismal 9.1.
Watson has recorded three touchdown passes while throwing two interceptions. Despite being sacked a league-high 16 times, the Browns have achieved a pass-block win rate (PBWR) of 66%, ranking eighth in the league, as reported by ESPN Stats & Info. This indicates that Watson bears significant responsibility for the number of times he gets sacked.
This issue quickly becomes about the veterans in the locker room and their ability to win games. Time is of the essence as the Browns head into a stretch of three consecutive road games. If things continue to proceed as they have to this point and they drop a couple of the following three games with Watson's play not showing signs of improvement, a return back to Huntington Bank Field to kickoff divisional play in Week Seven could create a hostile and untenable atmosphere.
Jameis Winston is the Browns' backup, and a change may have to be made at some point. Winston is a good fit in Stefanski's offense, and many believe he could give them a better chance to win games. If this becomes clear, the Browns will have to act, and in doing so, they need to handle the situation with some care.
The question of who in the Browns organization makes the call to sit him down is somewhat unclear because there was never anything definitive about how the decision to trade for Watson went down. Ideally, the decision should come from Stefanski and Andrew Berry together. Still, things get somewhat tricky when accounting for the man who writes the checks, Jimmy Haslam. The decision should be Stefanski's as he will be the best qualified to determine when the Watson experiment has run its course and when he believes Winston gives them a better chance to win.
There is a feeling that they are still hoping that more time on the field will allow him to figure things out and begin to play at a level that allows them to be competitive. This "hope" has to have an expiration date, though, as it is not fair to the other players to continue playing him when he doesn't give them the best chance to win.
While Stefanski should make the call, their actions after the decision is made, regardless of who has a hand in it, are highly critical.
This is not a situation where Watson can sit behind Winston as the backup. He can't come back two weeks later if they are still struggling. The decision to sit Watson down needs to be a move of finality. That's it; the experiment is over. He will need to be released or cut, and the Browns will proceed with Winston and trust in Berry and Stefanski to lead this team into the future.
The financial implications can be managed as the resident capologist at the OBR, Jack Duffin, has laid out -
Even If Deshaun Watson Struggles, The Cleveland Browns Are Fine In 2025 & Beyond. There is also a pending sexual assault suit that could influence all of this, but either way, when the decision is made, there is no coming back.
The Browns have the right guys in place at General Manager and Head Coach, and Stefanski has yet to have a chance to get his guy at quarterback.
There is a non-zero chance Watson plays better this Sunday, and things could start to click for him. However, at this point, he looks like a completely different player than the one they hoped they were trading for, and it appears it might be getting worse.
The key for the Browns brass is to trust Stefanski's evaluation of the situation and act with a sense of urgency that is fair to this roster. They can not waver or do this halfway. When it's over, it's over. There is no going back.