There’s No Wiggle Room For The Cleveland Browns, Who Need To Start Stacking Wins

The waiting is over. The uncertainty is not. But on Sunday Deshaun Watson will resume his career. When he takes the field at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Houston, ironically against his former team, the Houston Texans. It will be Watson’s first appearance in a regular season NFL game since January 3, 2021, the last day of the 2020 season.

It will be Watson’s first appearance since the Browns acquired him from Texas on March 18, in exchange for six draft picks, including three first round picks.

It will also be Watson’s first appearance since serving an 11-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

The Browns didn’t win a lot of games while Watson was suspended, Cleveland is 4-7, but that was mostly due to a leaky defense. The Browns’ offense, under backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, was in the upper third of the NFL in points scored.

The Browns probably have to win most, if not all of their six remaining games in order to reach the playoffs. So the addition of Watson, and his dynamic skill set comes at a good time. One of the obvious questions, however, is with such a long layoff, how sharp will Watson be? How much rust will he have to overcome?

“That’s a totally fair question,” said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. “I don’t think I can predict that kind of thing. I know he’s focusing on his work. Deshaun has been at practices, he been at walkthroughs. He’s been around his teammates. This is about us vs. the Texans. That’s the focus.”

Watson’s return opens up portions of Stefanski’s playbook that weren’t in play with the more stationary, pocket-passing Brissett running the offense.

“For us as an offense we want to maximize the skills of all of our players,” Stefanski said. “Obviously with a change at quarterback there are certain things we’ll do differently. But ultimately, the goal is to play good offensive football. We’ll do what our guys do best.”

A three-time Pro Bowl selection in his last three years with Houston, Watson is as much a threat running the ball as he is throwing it. That’s no secret to opposing defenses. But it does challenge them.

“There’s plenty of tape on Deshaun out there, so the Texans know what to prepare against,” Stefanski said. “But he hasn’t played for us, so there’s an element of we’ll see. We’ve played good offense the first 11 weeks, so I expect that to be the same.”

What will certainly change is the threat Watson poses as both a thrower and a runner of the football. In his four years with Houston Watson averaged 5.5 yards per carry, 28 rushing first downs per season, and four rushing touchdowns per season.

Having Watson’s mobility and threat as a runner, coupled with Nick Chubb, arguably the best running back in the league, in the same backfield will make Cleveland’s offense even more prolific still.

“We’ve played good offense the first 11 weeks, so I expect that to be the same,” Stefanski said. “We’ve seen, going against Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, how frustrating it is to a defensive coach when a quarterback can make plays, and that’s part of Deshaun’s game.”

Cleveland’s margin for error in its six remaining games is slim. After Sunday’s game in Houston, the Browns will play at Cincinnati, then home to Baltimore and New Orleans, then finish the regular season with games at Washington and at Pittsburgh.

Winning most, if not all of those games for a team that has only won four of its first 11 seems iffy, especially since Watson, despite all of his potential as both a runner and a passer, probably can’t be expected to immediately be peak Watson after missing the better part of two years.

As big a difference maker as Watson can be, there’s no denying that the effects of his extended time away from game action will likely be evident, especially in his first few games.

“In any endeavor you have to focus on preparation,” Stefanski said. “You can’t worry about Sunday until you worry about Wednesday.”

The Browns have had plenty to worry about this season. They’ve lost six of their last eight games, and they haven’t won consecutive games since October 3 of last year.

The fate of this season could be decided in how quickly Watson can get up to speed as a game changer as both a passer and a runner.

“The guys have enjoyed having him back,” Stefanski said. “Having him on the field will bring an element to our offense that’s different. How different remains to be seen.”