close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Deshaun Watson problem gets worse for Cleveland Browns
    news

    Deshaun Watson problem gets worse for Cleveland Browns

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    CLEVELAND – The next time Jimmy and Dee Haslam hang out with their fellow billionaires, someone should ask them if they regret their purchase.

    If the answer isn’t Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract (price tag: $230 million, results estimated at around $2.30), then the team’s owners are really playing a different game than the rest.

    When the Haslams acquired Watson from the Houston Texans, they looked past the dozens of allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior that had been leveled at him. They guaranteed him a deal after years of losing had pushed them to the brink of desperation, even as the early success of 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield faltered. Instead, Watson has played sparingly and been uninspiring when he’s on the field, never more so than in a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday to open the team’s 2024 NFL season.

    Hours earlier, opposing quarterback Dak Prescott had become the highest-paid man in NFL history with an annual salary of $60 million over the next four years. He was also guaranteed the most money, beating out Watson by $1 million.

    Cleveland crossed the first-down marker once in the first half, and the Browns were booed as they entered the locker room at halftime in a 20-3 deficit. Watson was 7-of-15 with 36 passing yards. He finished the game averaging 3.8 yards per attempt and did not complete a pass further than 6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage in the first half.

    Both tackles – Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. – were declared inactive, meaning Watson and the Browns knew it could be a long day against a Dallas defense, one of the league’s most talented units. Watson had six sacks, was hit 17 times and ran for his life all afternoon. Nick Chubb is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in Game 2 of last season and should help balance out a schedule that relies on the run game.

    The Browns’ entire offensive operation seemed disjointed. Cleveland called its first timeout less than six minutes into the game before head coach Kevin Stefanski opted for a field goal. The Browns later called a timeout two minutes and 37 seconds into the third quarter.

    During garbage time, Watson nearly hit Amari Cooper on a deep pass that could have been a touchdown. It was a reflection of how the game was going for Watson—he was waiting to get clobbered by an incoming Cowboys defender and hoping that throwing the ball up would reward him.

    “We’re not the type of people to make excuses,” Watson said. “So some people might say that’s a big factor – my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the pitch, you’ve got to perform. You’ve got to execute. We didn’t do that generally. And yeah, it showed.”

    Watson finished the day completing 24 of 45 passes for 169 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions—one of which was certainly not his fault, as receiver Elijah Moore had to catch the ball that went through his hands. He carried the ball five times for 39 rushing yards. Several of his deep passes simply weren’t anywhere near a Browns receiver.

    It was Watson’s 13th game as the Browns’ quarterback in his third season with the team. He was suspended for 11 games following the NFL’s investigation into sexual assault allegations in 2022, after sitting out the 2021 season due to a feud with the Texans. Injuries cost him two-thirds of last season, and the Browns were the AFC’s top wild card without him (though they went 5-1 in games Watson started).

    In his final season with the Texans, he averaged 8.9 yards per attempt and threw for 4,823 yards. He finished both of his shortened Cleveland campaigns with 6.5 yards per attempt.

    The cap hit for Cleveland to move on from Watson after this season is more than $172 million, according to Over The Cap, which would represent more than two-thirds of this year’s $255 million allotment for each team. The Browns are, effectively, locked into him, with looming cap hits of $72.9 million in each of the next two seasons. Watching Mayfield go 24 of 30 with 289 passing yards and four touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only made Sunday’s upset more painful for Browns fans hoping this year will be different and build on the successes of 2023.

    A Week 10 win over the visiting Baltimore Ravens last season gave Watson his first victory with Cleveland. The good feelings didn’t last long. He suffered a season-ending injury that day, and the Joe Flacco Experience began.

    This offseason, Watson was on a throwing program of sorts and worked his shoulder occasionally as it healed.

    “The shoulder helped me the whole game so that was positive,” Watson said.

    The problem for the Haslams, the Browns and their fans is that a healthy Watson is not a positive for them.

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like