Things have gone from bad to worse for Deshaun Watson and the Cleeveland Browns.
WATCH: Deshaun Watson appears to quit on the Browns and walks off the field on fourth down
Deshaun Watson appears to quit on the Browns and walks off the field on fourth down.
The Cleveland Browns are quite possibly at football rock bottom.
On Sunday, the Browns lost on the road to the Washington Commanders, who decimated them 34-17. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked seven times amid poor offensive line play and completed just 15 of his 28 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown.
The Browns had zero rushing touchdowns and a defense that gave up 434 total yards, including 19 first downs and two fourth downs to a streaking COmmanders team led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Watson and his coach Kevin Stefanski were seen throughout the game sharing what could only be unpleasantries on the sideline.
In one instance in the third quarter, the Browns were down 24-3 but it was 1st-and-goal from the two.
A false start moved them back five yards. And when Watson didn’t pick up the play from the sideline, they had to burn a timeout. Watson then yelled at Stefanski.
Watson was subsequently sacked on the next play, threw two incompletions, and on fourth-and-goal from Washington’s 8-yard line, it was pretty clear that Stefanski wanted the offense to go for it instead of kicking a meaningless field goal. Watson began walking off the field and completely gave up on the play to the complete shock of Stefanski. The Browns had to take the delay of game and kick the field goal.
The amount of confusion & dysfunction on these 2 plays in the red zone is astounding. Forget the same page, Stefanski & Watson aren't even in the same book right now. These two are now visibly arguing on the field. This is bad. pic.twitter.com/SENOcjJ6gm
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) October 6, 2024
Watson was once one of the most promising quarterbacks in the league.
With the Houston Texans, Watson was named to the Pro Bowl three times and led the NFL in passing yards in 2020 (4,823). The Texans made the Divisional round of the playoffs in 2019.
In 2022, Watson was traded to the Browns after missing the entire 2021 season due to sexual assault allegations. All allegations have been settled out of court and the NFL handed him an 11-game suspension. He also had a major shoulder injury that caused him to miss significant playing time with the Browns.
In September, even more new allegations came to light. Watson is currently facing a disturbing new lawsuit arising from a 2020 incident
After Sunday’s game, Stefanski told reporters that they are not changing quarterbacks. Jameis Winston, who is Watson’s backup, did come into Sunday’s game.
“We need to play better, I need to coach better. That’s really what it is,” Stefanski said.
The deal Watson signed with the Browns does leave them in an extremely less-than-ideal situation. The five-year deal pays Watson $230 million total, or exactly $46 million each year, fully guaranteed. Furthermore, earlier this year, the Browns extended Stefanski’s contract.
The Browns are now 1-4. They are on the road next week to f
ace the Philadelphia Eagles.
