The Cleveland Browns had high hopes for the 2024 season. Entering the year healthy and without off-the-field concerns, the team expected Deshaun Watson to return to form and lead this team to the postseason.
Instead, disaster struck in more ways than one. When the Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight, it will be Jameis Winston under center. What happened to Watson?
Deshaun Watson’s Season-Ending Injury
Watson started the first seven games of the season for the Browns. In Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watson made a move to scramble, pushed off using his right leg, and immediately went down.
Deshaun Watson just ruptured his Achilles.
Jameis Winston is inactive today.. pic.twitter.com/QQqM57qVl1
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 20, 2024
The instant it happened, there was no doubt among seasoned football fans as to what had happened. We saw it twice last year with Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins — Watson had torn his Achilles.
It wasn’t long after the game that the team confirmed what we already knew from the video: Watson was done for the year.
The Browns Should’ve Benched Watson Long Before His Injury
The Watson contract will likely go down as the worst in NFL history. It’s one thing to mortgage the future for a franchise QB. It’s another thing to mortgage the future for a mediocre starter. What the Browns did is unprecedented. They mortgaged the future for one of the worst quarterbacks in the history of football.
Opinions on Watson as a human aside, there’s no denying that before his legal troubles, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. 2020 Watson threw 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions, ran in three more, and led the NFL in passing yards. 2020 was also a long time ago.
Between then, Watson sat out the entire 2021 season and the first 11 games of 2022. When he returned in 2022, he looked incredibly rusty, as one would expect after missing 1.5 years of football.
Naturally, the Browns expected him to return to his previous self in 2023. Unfortunately, Watson couldn’t get healthy, ultimately seeing his season cut short due to a shoulder injury. When on the field, though, he was pretty bad.
In 2023, Watson completed just 61.4% of his passes and had a QBR of 42.9. For context, his worst QBR during his first four years in the league was 61.8. Nevertheless, the Browns stuck with the guy they spent $230 million on because, well, they had no choice.
This year, the wheels fell off, the axles broke, and the entire frame of the bus collapsed. Calling Watson an unmitigated disaster would not do justice to unmitigated disasters.
Through seven weeks, Watson not only had zero 300-yard passing games, he had zero 200-yard passing games. He averaged a mere 21.1 rushing yards per game, accounting for a total of six touchdowns and six turnovers.
Last one: No quarterback with 200+ dropbacks in Weeks 1-7 since at least 2000 has a lower EPA per dropback average than Deshaun Watson.
Not just a new Browns low, a new league low for Weeks 1-7.
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) October 20, 2024
Just about everyone in the football world was calling for the Browns to bench Watson well before their hand was forced due to his injury.
New free column: It's time for the Browns to give up on Deshaun Watson, who is off to the worst start in modern league history.
Since 2007, out of 566 passers through six weeks, Watson ranks:
QBR: 558th
Yds/Dropback: 565th
First Down Rate: 566thhttps://t.co/2sRVcLHv8W pic.twitter.com/qTubGAAztL— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 14, 2024
Jameis Winston is not about to lead the Browns to the playoffs. He is who he is, but he at least makes this offense competent.
Winston has thrown for 334, 235, and 395 yards in his three starts. Aside from his three-interception game against the Chargers, he hasn’t been turning the ball over.
Thursday night in Week 12 will be his toughest test against a very good Steelers defense. But no matter what Winston does, Browns fans can at least take solace in knowing it will be better than what Watson would have done.