After Cleveland Browns’ dismal defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, all eyes are on Deshaun Watson. The star quarterback was evidently uncomfortable throughout Sunday’s season-opener game, which resulted in a 33-17 defeat. With the season at risk of spiraling downward, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky has suggested an alternative solution for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
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“Quarterback is a problem in Cleveland,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up. “And if I was Kevin Stefanski, I’d be thinking long and hard about Jameis Winston and moving him to be my starting quarterback.“
The NFL star-turned-analyst observed that Deshaun had been struggling across the board, from finding open receivers to accurately delivering passes. He was apparently missing his targets by over 5 yards, which is certainly cause for concern.
Dan explained:
“Can’t run it with because Deshaun isn’t ready to operate the play-action pass. He doesn’t see the field well. He’s not throwing with rhythm and timing. He’s missing receivers by six, seven yards. Not feet.”
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In the first half, Watson struggled the most, scraping merely 6 of 13 passes for 33 yards with one interception. After trailing 3-20 behind Dallas at halftime, he did pick up his pace, but it was already too late for the Browns. The game ended with the quarterback amassing 169 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The former Houston star was signed in a monumental deal with Cleveland back in 2022 and is now in the third year of his five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million deal. Naturally, such big-money contracts carry certain expectations, and Watson’s failure to fulfill those had many questioning his capabilities.
Fans and analysts alike poured their criticisms on the franchise quarterback, with the crowd at Huntington Bank Field booing Watson in the first half. However, the 28-year-old had more than just the opening-day pressure on his mind.
Deshaun Watson had more than just a game on his mind
The quarterback is expected to lead the offense in a game and when an offense fails; the responsibility falls on his shoulders. “We’re not the type of people that make excuses,” said Watson, opening up about Cleveland’s defeat, as per the Guardian.
“So some people can say that can contribute a lot, you know, my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the field, you gotta perform, you gotta execute. We didn’t do that overall. And yeah, it showed,” he continued.
That said, Watson didn’t participate in the preseason games to focus on his game and avoid injuries. That might have been a contributing factor to his subpar performance. Additionally, he faced the third-highest pressure in Week 1, at 44.6%, trailing only Jacoby Brissett and Will Levis.
Most Pressure Faced – Week 1 % of dropbacks
1. Jacoby Brissett – 48.3%
. – .%
3. Deshaun Watson – 44.6%
4. Justin Herbert – 42.9%
5. Sam Darnold – 42.3%[ via @NextGenStats ]
— Will Boling (@will_boling) September 9, 2024
Apart from reduced playing time, it was also the emotional stress that loomed over the quarterback. Having lost his father on Friday and another former teammate the next day, the 28-year-old was certainly not in his best state of mind. He later shared that the Browns had offered him to skip the game, but he chose to play.
“But you know, there are other things that are bigger than this [football],” said Watson. “It’s been a long week, and they gave me the opportunity to go back home, but I told them I wanted to be here with my guys.”
Whether we will see Watson on the field or on the bench when the Browns face the Jaguars on Sep 15, only time will tell.
