The Cleveland Browns fell to 1-4 on the season following their 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon. The embarrassing loss saw Cleveland kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter while their defense allowed Washington to consistently march down the field all game long.
Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was particularly terrible, completing just 15 of 28 passes for a measly 125 yards and one touchdown. Even though he did not throw an interception, he did lose a fumble.
Watson, to be blunt, has not been anywhere close to good this season. In fact, he has not been anywhere close to being playable ever since the Browns acquired him in a controversial trade with the Houston Texans.
Since arriving in Cleveland, Watson has played just 17 games in three seasons. Going into Sunday, he had a 60.3% completion percentage, 2944 yards, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 79.5 passer rating as the Browns starting quarterback.
Cleveland Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski Will Not Bench Deshaun Watson
But if fans were hoping that Watson’s latest poor performance would finally get him benched in favor of backup quarterback Jameis Winston, they are going to be sorely disappointed.
After the game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that there will be no change at quarterback:
#Browns Kevin Stefanski “we’re not changing quarterbacks” pic.twitter.com/mKOo6WvtDy
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 6, 2024
Fans may recall that, last season, the Browns finished 11-6 and made the NFL Playoffs with backup quarterback Joe Flacco leading them late in the season.
The team made the decision to not even try to bring Flacco back, instead placing their hopes of another successful season in Watson’s right arm.
So far, that has been a mistake.
Of course, Stefanski is in a tough position because the front office and team ownership went out and traded for Watson and then gave him a massive contract.
Unfortunately, it may cost him his job.
Cleveland Browns Fans Are Irate that the Team Will Not Bench Deshaun Watson
Whether it is Stefanski’s decision or not, fans are not happy with his message. While there are plenty of things wrong with the Browns right now, Watson being their starting quarterback is the most glaring and fixable problem right now.
Jameis Winston is a competent backup who has had relatively high levels of success in the NFL. The decision to stick with Watson is simply infuriating, as fans were quick to point out:
The rest of the teams on the Browns schedule https://t.co/fQG1Qz5ESK pic.twitter.com/Zs6gdmE2Yg
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 6, 2024
Translation: “we don’t plan on winning games” https://t.co/BVnlbyab44
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CodyCarpentier) October 6, 2024
the beatings will continue until morale improves https://t.co/AOnkw7KL6V
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) October 6, 2024
one of the most egregious things a football team has ever done only exacerbated lol, such a disservice to everyone else on that roster https://t.co/TPmDINgnzv
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 7, 2024
Kevin blink twice if you can’t bench your QB https://t.co/mq08eQZNMn
— Pat Thorman (@Pat_Thorman) October 6, 2024
As one can see, not everyone is convinced that the decision to keep Watson as the starter is Stefanski’s. However, everyone also can see that it is the wrong one to make.
What is unclear is why the organization cannot see it. Sure, they are paying him a great deal of money.
But their job is to win games, and they are not going to win many with him under center.
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