Finding A Path On The Watson Drama
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns stole another victory in Indianapolis last week. Not that they shouldn’t have won the game based on talent, but they had so many struggles on offense that it took a last-second play on fourth and goal to seal the win.
The game didn’t come without drama as Deshaun Watson looked horrific on his first five passes of the game and exited in the first quarter after taking a big blow to his injured shoulder and head after releasing a pass.
Deshaun Watson cannot be serious pic.twitter.com/2w7B8tCt4l
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 22, 2023
Kevin Stefanski quickly commented after the game that it was his call to protect his franchise quarterback (Watson was approved to return to play by doctors and didn’t), but there are still a ton of question marks.
With Watson looking so off his first few throws, did Stefanski know that the team had a better chance to win with PJ Walker? Did Watson tell the staff he wasn’t going back into the game? These are both questions we likely will never know the answer to but can’t be ignored given the circumstances.
The drama so far is not even close to when Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Baker Mayfield were in the locker room, but it certainly feels like it could be building. Stefanski and his staff will do everything to keep it coming from a head, and here is how they can do that.
Take a Definitive Stance on the Watson Injury:
The biggest thing the Browns need to do now is come out as a united front to fans. Even if the truth is fabricated, figure out a statement and stick to it.
Stefanski did the right thing by saying Watson was the starting quarterback and he was protecting him, but Watson came out after the game and said he was praying the injury wasn’t worse.
At this point, if Watson is truly dinged up, I’m fine with the Browns sitting him and getting him fully healthy, but they need to let everyone know that, including the team.
Right now, Stefanski doesn’t trust Watson and vice versa and it is making this offense a nightmare. It feels like Stefanski is calling predictable plays to not create a mistake, and Watson is forcing the issue to prove that he can take off with this offense.
It’s a tough situation to be in when your $230 million quarterback isn’t giving you the best chance to win. Fans haven’t quite turned on him yet, but if Walker starts in Seattle next week and finds a way to win, it’s going to be tough for Watson to recover if he doesn’t start playing better.
On the bright side, the Browns offensive line has started playing much better and can hopefully protect Watson better if he does try to play through injury.
Consider a Trade:
When you have so much money already tied up at quarterback it’s hard to want to make a move, but the Cleveland Browns should seriously consider making a trade for a quarterback if Watson is truly dinged up.
I typically wouldn’t recommend such a tactic, but between the Browns defense playing so well and there being a perfect trade scenario, I think it should be a realistic option.
Just last week Kirk Cousins came out and said that he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause before the deadline, but if he were given the chance to reunite with Stefanski and play on a playoff contenders team, he may consider it.
Cousins is on the last year of his deal, and with the Vikings off to a 2-5 start, they are likely looking to rebuild after this season. Cousins’ contract wouldn’t come with a ton of cap hit and would likely only take a middle to late-round pick.
I’m not saying that Cousins is the long-term answer, which could be why he wouldn’t want to come to Cleveland, but he could certainly give you strong play for the remainder of the season and give Watson time to heal. Cousins is an elite game manager, but also has the arm the make big throws if you need him to.
If you feel Watson is healthy and start the next game, I may disagree with this strategy, but after what I saw on Sunday in Indianapolis either Watson is extremely upset with the Browns organization and doesn’t want to play, or his shoulder is really hurting and affecting his accuracy.
The good news for the Browns is winning cures a lot. If they can find a way to win in Seattle and get to the Cardinals game at 5-2, they can likely avoid the blowup. But if they go to Seattle and get blown out of the water because Watson plays poorly or Walker is forced to start, it could get ugly quickly in Cleveland.
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