Three wins in three weeks can change a lot of opinions, and no one seems to prove that better than Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Even within his own organization, Watson went from being on the brink of losing his starting job and having his career relegated to an NFL Siberia ahead of the Week 2 game in Tampa Bay to celebrated for his grit and his guts and the hard work to come back from two Achilles tendon surgeries.
After the Browns’ disaster in Jacksonville in Week 1, Watson was certainly on the ropes, and former star running back LeSean McCoy, speaking on the NFL podcast, “The Speakeasy,” felt that Watson was bad enough in that game to warrant an NFL investigation.
A Good Cleveland Browns Win
We’ll get to that in a moment. But after the Browns’ win over the Steelers at home on Thursday night, a 27-24 decision that featured a game-winning drive led by Watson in the final two minutes, McCoy had shown a complete 180-degree turn on Watson.
As he said (via BrownsNation.com): “”I’m impressed. I mean, they’re 3-1. You got a divisional opponent coming in your house, and you handled business. What do they call it? The Dawg Pound? The Dawg Pound going crazy right now! I’m gonna give a nice shoutout to Deshaun Watson. You know why? Because he is playing winning football. He ain’t trying to do too much. I don’t want to start talking about the old Deshaun. This is the Cleveland Browns Deshaun Watson.
“They’re running the ball well. They’re running efficiently. He’s finding guys open. I just love what I’m seeing from Deshaun Watson. And then the defense. The defense played phenomenal. This is a good Cleveland Browns win. If they can do this, we gotta adjust Deshaun Watson on his time as a starter here. If you look at the way he’s playing, he’s playing winning football.”
‘Deshaun Watson Is on the Loose’
That’s fair. Watson has not been the second coming of Otto Graham, but he has been efficient. He has thrown for 855 yards in four games, completing 69.6% of his passes with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Watson has a quarterback rating of 101.2, which would be his best since leaving the Texans in 2020.
But a reminder of McCoy’s review of Watson after the Jaguars loss. It was harsh, with McCoy implying Watson was in league with gamblers.
Said McCoy: “I ain’t trying to start this. But Deshaun Watson needs to be under investigation for point-shaving because we’ve been seeing it. We’ve watched Terry Rozier do it. We’re watching it in basketball. It’s happening in football. You think he’s rich? He’s trying to get richer.
“Telling you, check with a bookie near you. Deshaun Watson is on the loose.”
Yes, much can change with three wins.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Praised by Ex-Star Who Accused Him of ‘Point-Shaving’