Fans and media members alike have implored the Cleveland Browns to sideline Deshaun Watson, though the embattled quarterback insists that he’s unaffected by the noise.
Watson spoke with media members on Wednesday, October 9, and addressed the question directly.
“First off, I don’t hear it, I don’t see it. I’m not on Twitter, I’m not on any social media or things like that. So anytime that stuff comes up, the only time I first hear it is either you guys are bringing it up or somebody else outside. And I just don’t know who it’s coming from. So that’s one thing,” Watson said. “So, yeah, I mean, for the outside people and the media it might be loud, but for myself, I got to make sure I’m locked in and trying to do whatever I can to get all of us on the same page to play winning football.”
Browns Offense Among Worst in NFL Through 5 Weeks
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland has struggled mightily to play winning football this year at 1-4 and things aren’t liable to get easier against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road this week.
Philly is coming off of its bye and will likely have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith back in the starting lineup after injuries sidelined both wide receivers earlier in the year.
Of course, Watson doesn’t have to worry about the Eagles’ offense. He does, however, need to provide his defense with some help by keeping them off the field and scoring the occasional point or two.
Cleveland ranks 30th in the NFL at just 15.8 points per game and hasn’t scored more than 17 points in a single contest across its 1-4 start. The Browns’ pass attack is 28th in the league with only 868 yards through the air in five contests (173.6 yards per game). Watson also has yet to crack the 200-yard threshold in any outing this year.
Watson has completed just 60.2% of his pass attempts this season for 5 TDs and 3 INTs.
Browns Offensive Line Arguably Worst in Football This Year
GettyCleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin.
As bad as Watson has been — and he has been terrible, whether he’s ignoring those ubiquitous criticisms or not — Cleveland’s offensive line has probably been worse.
Opposing defenses have laid Watson flat 26 times this season for a total loss of 154 yards, both of which lead the league, according to Pro Football Reference.
The quarterback also addressed that issue with reporters on Wednesday.
“I mean, we just have to continue to be better overall, all of us. Know where my highest on my reads, know where my outlets are in that situation,” Watson said. “But I have a lot of confidence in those guys up front that each and every week we’re going to continue to improve, and I got to be right there with them, and we know we got to be on the same page within that. So, yeah, just depending on the route concepts and the scheme and what we were trying to do.”
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QB Deshaun Watson Sounds Off on Calls for Browns to Bench Him