Deshaun Watson turned the NFL world upside down when he was seen walking off the field in the third quarter of the game between the Browns and the Commanders, with his team trailing 24-3. Seeing this, even Kevin Stefanski wore a livid expression, leaving fans to speculate that the quarterback had quit on his team midway through. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.
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A deeper observation of the video of Watson “walking off” reveals that the Browns’ huddle actually had 12 players present, one more than allowed.
The QB’s presence would have pushed the count above the permitted level, so he walked off dejectedly toward the sidelines, accepting the Delay of Game penalty instead of using their last timeout.
HC Kevin Stefanski was visibly unaware of this, which is why he expressed the way he did.
Context (and reality) is important: Players are walking off the field because there were 12 men in the huddle and Cleveland was taking the penalty. You can see Amari Cooper counting the players in the huddle.
Yet this wrong assumption has been viewed 10 million times. https://t.co/SHex0IEKPT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 7, 2024
The head coach acknowledged this in the post-game interview and admitted that his team indeed had too many people in the huddle. “We had the wrong amount of people in the huddle, and at that point, we were just going to kick the field goal,” he said.
Later, Watson also urged people not to make a big deal out of the incident, describing it as a simple case of miscommunication. “Too many men in a huddle… that was it,” the QB explained.
Granted, Watson is arguably one of the most disliked quarterbacks in the league today, but walking off the field during a game would have drawn immense backlash.
Browns are still sticking with Watson
With a 1-4 record and being the only NFL offense yet to surpass 300 yards in a game this season, it’s not unreasonable to question the quarterback at the helm. Adding to this, Watson’s ongoing legal troubles could lead to a suspension, leaving the team high and dry.
As a result, fans are hoping for a trade; however, head coach Stefanski argues otherwise.
Speaking to the reporters after the crushing 13-34 loss against the Commanders, Stefanski expressed full confidence in Deshaun, clarifying that the offensive struggles are a shared responsibility, himself included.
“We’re not changing quarterbacks… We need to play better. I need to coach better.”
From a neutral lens, Stefanski is both right and wrong. Efficiency and offensive success have always been the result of collective effort. But the question remains: Is the central cog of the offense truly giving his best?
With just 14 TDs over the last two seasons, is this really what Stefanski & Co. expected when they signed Deshaun to a guaranteed $230 million contract? These glaring questions come with equally glaring answers. And the sooner the Browns figure it out, the better.
