CLEVELAND — The Waiting Game for Browns Fans
How long must Browns fans endure the suspense? How much longer will they have to wait to see the quarterback they were promised? We are now in Year 3 of the Deshaun Watson Experience, and the initial lap around the track didn’t offer any signs of change. Is it too late to ask for a refund?
This season was supposed to be different. Watson is healthy now, the suspension is a thing of the past, and the offense has been revamped to leverage his strengths. The Browns have taken significant steps to create an environment where he can thrive.
Despite the optimism, success remains a possibility. It’s only one game, and the offense had limited time to gel during the preseason and training camp. That lack of cohesion was glaringly apparent during Sunday’s 33-17 debacle against the Dallas Cowboys.
GO DEEPER: Browns show they’re not ready for big stage in lopsided loss to Cowboys
In hindsight, Watson should have taken some snaps during the preseason. This oversight reflects a broader organizational failure. After enduring 300 days since his shoulder injury last season, it’s baffling to see how unprepared the team appeared in their opener. We’ve been here before with Watson and prolonged absences; we know how this story usually concludes.
While it may not have altered the outcome of Sunday’s game, it’s hard to watch the Browns during their first contest and truly believe they were ready for the season kick-off. Whether they will be prepared for Week 2 is now a pressing question.
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The majority of the blame, however, falls on the quarterback’s shoulders. His minus-0.36 EPA/play was among the worst in the league on Sunday. Yes, his receivers struggled with drops, but his expected completion percentage was still below 64 percent, ranking fourth-worst for Week 1 prior to the Sunday night games.
To be frank, this supposedly revamped offense felt more like a rehash of the past. Other than a notable shift away from the run game, nothing appeared particularly different. The number of run-pass option (RPO) plays was limited, with at least one being nullified by a penalty. Watson still found himself under center for a significant portion of the time.
Watson faced 17 hits and was sacked six times, the highest number of hits taken by any quarterback in Week 1. However, one narrative that cannot be perpetuated this week is that Watson was hit too frequently due to a breakdown in protection. This is a lazy assumption based on statistics, and it is categorically false. Even Browns coach Kevin Stefanski seemed to fall for it.
- “He got hit way too often,” Stefanski stated. “We can’t let that happen to him. We have to protect our quarterback better than that.”
Or perhaps, and hear me out, the quarterback needs to take better care of himself.
Dallas’ defense blitzed on a quarter of its snaps, a fairly average rate compared to other teams in Week 1. Here are some critical numbers from a detailed analysis using data from TruMedia and PFF:
- Watson averaged 4.16 seconds to throw per pressured dropback, ranking eighth-best under pressure. On pressured sacks, he held the ball for 4.29 seconds, the sixth-best time in Week 1.
- On the six sacks he incurred, his average time to throw was 4.87 seconds, placing him 10th in the league.
- Since joining the Browns in 2022, Watson has consistently been the slowest quarterback in the league from snap to throw on pressured dropbacks, averaging 4.60 seconds. In contrast, Tom Brady, who happened to commentate the game for Fox, was the fastest at 3.26 seconds.
One of Watson’s strengths throughout his career has been his ability to hold onto the ball and extend plays. It is disingenuous to attribute protection breakdowns to the offensive line when they have provided him more time to throw against pressure than any other line in the NFL over the last two-plus seasons.
This is not a protection issue; it’s a Watson issue.
There were significant procedure and false start penalties on both starting tackles. Those errors must be addressed. Yet, at least one sack occurred because Watson was positioned unexpectedly, leading to misalignment in protection.
It all comes down to rhythm and timing. There seems to be a lack of “feel” on the field. It was evident that Watson wasn’t processing what he was seeing effectively. There were opportunities down the field, but he missed them, often throwing the ball seven yards out of bounds on sideline routes and fading routes into the end zone.
It was dreadful. In fact, it was worse than dreadful; it was among the worst quarterback performances throughout Week 1.
Forty-five minutes after the game concluded, while other players had showered and departed the locker room, Watson remained, still in his game pants, stained and unshowered, deep in conversation with backup quarterback Jameis Winston.
This week was emotionally charged for Watson, having lost his father. According to a Houston Chronicle article from 2017, their relationship had been strained for most of his life. Navigating grief is a complex journey.
“I’m not going to use that as an excuse for why we played poorly, but it has been heavy on my heart these last couple of days,” Watson said. “But again, I don’t want to use that as an excuse.”
Stefanski and the Browns have gone to great lengths to make Watson feel at home in this offense. As Year 3 begins, the organization is holding on tightly, hoping patiently for its $230 million investment to finally yield a worthy return.
How long? How much longer will they have to wait?
GO DEEPER: NFL Week 1 takeaways: Cowboys’ talent overwhelms, Harbaugh’s formula works, Caleb Williams shaky
(Photo of Deshaun Watson getting hit by Micah Parsons: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
