Deshaun Watson is getting paid an absurd amount of money to be one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Cleveland Browns are going to regret their trade with the Houston Texans for a very, very long time.
One particularly astonishing statistic really puts the extent of Watson’s poor play in perspective.
When it comes to talent evaluation, numbers are a very small part of the equation. A quarterback can throw for 500 yards and four touchdowns per game and still lose often. On the flip side, a quarterback who averages less than 300 yards per game can still lead his team to the Super Bowl. Wins and losses are way more important than a remarkable individual performance.
The problem is that Watson does not fall in either of those two categories. He is neither lighting up the stat sheet nor winning. Having him on the field is more of a liability than an asset at this point.
Stefanski needs to bench Watson. He gives this team no chance to win with throws like this. Philly dropped an easy interception on a severely under-thrown ball. pic.twitter.com/oD1e7wj03n
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) October 13, 2024
However, the former first round draft pick and 2020 passing leader is on a $230 million guaranteed contract and the Browns gave up three first round picks (and more!) to acquire him from the Texans so they refuse to bench him. It is now to the point where Watson’s poor play might finally force their hand.
On the most basic level, Deshaun Watson entered Sunday’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles with less than 1,000 yards passing on a completion percentage of just 60%. He had just two more touchdowns than interceptions. Cleveland started the year at 1-4.
Watson followed up his rough start with his worst half of the year, if not his entire NFL (and college) career. The 29-year-old completed only five of his first 11 attempts for 47 yards in two quarters. Yikes.
Now get this…
The Browns failed to convert any of their third down attempts through the first three quarters of the game, which extended a mind-boggling streak. They at one point went 0-26 on third down with Watson in the game.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
Cleveland ultimately converted a few first downs during the fourth quarter and, to be fair, Deshaun Watson went 11-for-11 to begin the second half. The Browns still lost!
It is time to give Jameis Winston the keys to the offense.