Heading into the regular season, no one knows what to expect from the Cleveland Browns. Sure, the Browns have the best defense in football, led by Myles Garrett. But on offense, there are tons of question marks surrounding Cleveland, especially at quarterback. Things depend on how Deshaun Watson plays this year, especially after the Browns said goodbye to Joe Flacco. Watson has never stayed healthy while with the Browns. But with Watson making so much money, many are putting pressure on Watson to perform this year – including First Take‘s Ryan Clark.
“It's obvious it's Deshaun Watson,” said Clark while discussing NFL players under pressure. “… There's so much they can do as a team that you watch them do with a quarterback who wasn't scared to throw it. We watched them do with a quarterback who was fresh off the pine, who we saw trying out and rehearsing for Inside the NFL at the beginning of the season. He wasn't even in camp, and Joe Flacco comes off the couch and becomes the quarterback that takes them to the playoffs. He had us believing he might be the quarterback leading them to a win.
“Forget the money. We've seen Deshaun Watson when he's at his best, whether at Clemson or Houston. … If Deshaun Watson can be half of what we saw him at one point, this team can be a playoff team. If he can't be that, he shouldn't be in the league, and that's where we are right now.”
How bad has Deshaun Watson been for the Browns?
Last season, Watson struggled quite a bit to get some yardage for the Browns and struggled to put together wins for Cleveland. Watson's injured shoulder impacted his on-field play for the Browns, only mustering 1,115 yards on a 61.4% completion percentage. He struggled to place his passes so opposing secondaries could not catch them. By the end, his seven touchdowns were overshadowed by the fact that he threw four interceptions.
Watson was a rising star in his early days with the Texans, so it is possible that he will get back to form and the Browns end up with a franchise quarterback. Right now, though, that has not been the case. There's still time to turn things around. But Watson has missed more games (22) because of injury and suspension than he has played in (12) with the Browns. He has been ineffective when on the field, too. Watson completed 58.2% of his passes and 61.4% last season.