Insider Reveals How Close Browns Are to Benching Watson for Winston

The Cleveland Browns seemingly have a quarterback problem. Deshaun Watson hasn’t played at the level they expected him to when they signed him to a five-year, $230 million deal.

The fan base has let him know, too, as Browns fans were chanting “We want Jameis” during the team’s Week 3 loss to the New York Giants, according to Nick Pedone.

It’s still uncertain if that’s a realistic situation heading into Week 4.

Dan Graziano asked Jeremy Fowler of ESPN how close the Browns are to benching Watson for Jameis Winston. Fowler, however, doesn’t expect that to be the case due to how much they have “invested” in the former star.

“The new Watson reality is one that’s still tough to fathom. I just looked this up: Watson had 10 300-yard games in 2020, his final season in Houston,” Fowler wrote on September 25. “He was on the short list of quarterbacks who struck fear in opponents. Since then, he hasn’t been close. Fifteen games is a relatively small sample size (especially in Cleveland, where quarterbacks work in dog years).

“He shows glimpses of the old Deshaun with a few throws here and there. But the body of work hasn’t been good enough, and the offensive line is now depleted, which will apply more pressure on Watson to make quick decisions. Cleveland has a good roster and needs to capitalize, but I’m still not expecting a quick hook, barring a complete disaster on the field. There’s too much invested in him.”

Browns ‘Have to’ Bench Watson

Watson has played better in the last two games than he has for the Cleveland Browns over the past two years. He threw for 186 yards in Week 2, completing 64.7% of his passes. However, Watson didn’t throw for one touchdown in that game.

In Week 3, he threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Still, it was another showing in which Watson didn’t throw for over 200 yards, which he’s yet to do in 2024.

Despite playing somewhat better recently, it’s still not up to the standard they expected from him.

In an article by Randy Gurzi of DawgPoundDaily titled “Only way Browns can salvage their season is bench Deshaun Watson,” Gurzi highlighted that Cleveland has to bench him if they want to win.

“Watson hasn’t put up an actual good performance since 2020 — which is nearly a half-decade in the past.

“If any other player had gone this long without playing well, they would be done. But Watson continues to get chances,” Gurzi wrote on September 22. “Sure, the contract has something to do with it. The Browns don’t want to put him on the bench when he’s in year three of a five-year $230 million deal but they have to — unless they enjoy losing.”

Could Winston Fix the Browns?

Winston hasn’t had a consistent role as a starter since 2019, but he’s made 10 spot starts and has appeared in 23 games since.

In his last season as a full-time starter, Winston threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns. However, he also threw 30 interceptions. He led the league that year in yards and interceptions.

As the Cleveland Browns saw in 2023 when Joe Flacco took over, they need someone who can come in and be average. If Winston can do that, the Browns’ offense could very well be in a better position than it currently is.