Browns coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated Monday that Deshaun Watson remains his starting quarterback despite Cleveland’s 1-5 start to the season with an offense that has struggled to find its footing.
“It’s important we do everything we can to play good, sound football,” Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year winner, said in his Monday news conference. “I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win and continues to give us the best chance to win.”
Stefanski faced a looming question within Monday’s news conference about if Browns owner Jimmy Haslem is forcing him to start Watson. Stefanski said it was his call to keep Watson as QB1.
“We have a good dialogue about all things with this team with myself, (general manager) Andrew (Berry), ownership,” Stefanski said. “Any decision when it comes to football is my decision.”
Watson has started 18 games for the Browns over three seasons since the March 2022 blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans. Cleveland gave up three first-round picks and handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million over five years. The team still carries more than $170 million in cap commitments to Watson for future seasons.
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Through six games in 2024, Watson has thrown for 1,020 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles saw Watson throw for 168 yards and complete 69.6 percent of his passes. Jameis Winston was brought in this offseason as the team’s backup quarterback and has appeared in four games, but has thrown just one pass.
The team ranks near the bottom in every major offensive category — 26th in rushing yards, 27th in points, tied for 27th in first downs, 29th in passing yards and 32nd in total offense. The Browns are also tied for the fewest amount of plays over 20 yards (10) and are one of four teams with no plays of over 40 yards on offense.
Additionally, Watson’s 31 sacks are the most — by 11 — by any quarterback in the league. Cleveland’s offensive line has suffered injuries at different points this season to left tackle Jedrick Willis Jr., centers Ethan Pocic and Nick Harris and right tackle Jack Conklin.
Last season, Cleveland lost Watson to a shoulder injury in a Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The team used four other starting quarterbacks, most notably Joe Flacco, to finish the season 11-6 and earn a wild card spot in the AFC playoffs.
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What impact would a change have?
There’s being loyal to your quarterback — and then there’s just ignoring every reality of the situation. Watson has performed poorly, and though he’s been let down at times by penalties, unchecked blitzers and drops, it’s clear that the Browns’ offense is broken. Watson and Stefanski have never shown great chemistry, and with few exceptions, he wasn’t even good last season. That’s been followed by an awful showing throughout training camp and now six weeks of an offense that’s historically bad and has yet to reach 20 points or 300 yards in a game.
This isn’t new, Watson isn’t a rookie and the Browns aren’t some expansion team. They’re just playing like one. It’s just impossible to fathom that Stefanski would really believe that Watson gives the Browns the best chance to win when there are mountains of evidence to the contrary.
Winston quarterbacked the No. 1 offense throughout the team’s organized team activity practices in May and June and on occasion throughout the team’s minicamp and training camp. Winston started two of the Browns’ three preseason games but really only played with most of the other starters in the preseason finale, when he went 6-of-9 passing for 63 yards in two series that yielded no points. That sounds familiar now, doesn’t it?
The Browns going to Winston this week would energize the offense and give them a chance to at least score some touchdowns. Maybe running back Nick Chubb’s return will provide that energy — and temporarily quell the boos that the home crowd will rain upon Watson — but Chubb isn’t going to be an immediate savior. And maybe Winston isn’t either, but sticking with Watson is an indefensible move. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writer
