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Despite another lackluster performance in a loss, Deshaun Watson is going to remain the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after Sunday’s 20-16 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles that the Browns, who are now 1-5 this season, will be sticking with Watson.
Cleveland’s offense continued to struggle in the loss, as Field Yates and Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN noted postgame.
Watson actually had one of his better games of the season on Sunday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was good. He finished 16-of-23 for 168 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
If you simply go by completion percentage, Watson’s 69.6 mark was his second-best of the season. His 7.3 yards per attempt was by far his best of the season, surpassing the 5.5 mark from Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cleveland’s offensive line didn’t do much to help Watson against the Eagles. He was sacked five times, despite having the fifth-fastest time to throw in Week 6 to this point (2.59 seconds).
In the big picture, though, Watson hasn’t been doing anything to elevate the offense. He has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game and this was his second time in six weeks without a touchdown pass.
Making matters worse is the Browns don’t really have an avenue to move on from Watson until after next season. His contract has a dead-cap charge of $172.8 million in 2025 and $99.8 million in 2026.
Per CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, the earliest the Browns could realistically release Watson would be after the 2025 season when they would only be on the hook for a $72.9 million dead-cap charge if they designated him as a post-June 1 cut.
While there will continue to be questions about the passing game with Watson under center, there are offensive reinforcements on the way for the Browns.
Oyefusi reported on Saturday that Nick Chubb is expected to make his return in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The star running back hasn’t played since suffering a major knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns play the Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers before their bye in Week 10.
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