After quarterback Deshaun Watson put up yet another disappointing effort, the Cleveland Browns lost to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, dropping them to 1-4.
With the exception of a game he missed due to injury, the struggling Browns signal caller completed only 125 yards of passing in the defeat, the fewest yards he has completed in any of the previous two seasons. In the 34-13 loss, Watson only managed one touchdown pass, and it came in the fourth quarter, when Cleveland was already behind by 28 points.
Up until Week 5, Watson was among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL.
Out of all the quarterbacks that qualified, he had the lowest quarterback rating on Sunday, starting at 23.6. With four weeks under his belt, his throwing average of 181.8 yards per game was sixth out of all quarterbacks who started at least four games.
Watson has thrown three interceptions and just five touchdowns in five games as a quarterback.
Since he joined the Browns at the end of the 2022 season, Watson’s performance has been declining. The past two seasons, his QBR would have placed him in the lowest third of the league, but he didn’t play enough snaps to qualify in either.
Cleveland is suffering from a triple whammy as a result of Watson’s subpar play: the club is losing games, his contract is burdensome, and past Browns quarterbacks are succeeding with other teams.
Over his three seasons with Cleveland, Watson is just 9-8 as a starter in 17 games and has not yet played in a postseason match.
Despite having a non-flexible deal, he has the second-highest guaranteed salary of any quarterback. The Browns would owe him $92 million and incur a roughly $173 million penalty to their salary cap if they release him before June 1. Cleveland would still be subject to fines totaling more than $86 million for the following two seasons if Watson were to be cut after that date.
The quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Baker Mayfield have succeeded elsewhere, which only serves to aggravate the situation.
After winning a playoff game for the team, Mayfield—Cleveland’s first-round selection in the 2018 draft—was benched in favor of Watson. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield won a postseason game the previous year and has guided them to a 3-2 record this season, throwing 13 touchdowns against only two interceptions.
Even Flacco, Watson’s previous backup, is performing better. Flacco had more touchdown passes in less games with the Browns the previous season than Watson did. In his first two games with the Indianapolis Colts, Flacco has five touchdowns and no interceptions. With his 359 yards on Sunday, Flacco threw for more than Watson had in any Cleveland game.
The Browns’ and Watson’s troubles have all resulted from his sexual assault incident, which essentially lost him the 2021 season and the first 11 games of 2022.
22 women filed lawsuits against Watson in March and April 2021, alleging sexual misconduct and abuse.
In March 2022, Cleveland still acquired Watson through the exchange of three first-round selections and two additional draft picks, and at that time, Watson was signed to the richest deal in NFL history, with the highest guaranteed salary.
A fresh complainant filed a lawsuit against Watson on September 9, claiming abuse and sexual assault.
Following the Browns’ defeat on Sunday, Kevin Stefanski, the head coach, backed Watson. He declared, “We’re not switching quarterbacks.”
