Deshaun Watson isn’t measuring his growth over stretch run by stats
BEREA − Deshaun Watson’s Browns debut was what the team hoped would be the lowest-rated game of his career. Then, in his fourth start, the quarterback managed to go even lower.
Yet, as Watson prepares for start No. 5 with the Browns on Sunday at the Washington Commanders, he feels like he’s a much improved quarterback coming out of last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints than he was after his debut in Houston on Dec. 4.
“The progress is continuing to grow each and every week,” Watson said Thursday. “The stats might not show it and it might not say it, but right now this is, like I said before, this is not about any statistics or anything like that. It’s about me improving as a quarterback, getting back in the rhythm, getting in the rhythm of this offense and this team. And as far as my decision making and reads and throws and timing and everything like that, it’s been getting better each and every week. And so my main focus is listening to what (coach) Kevin (Stefanski), (quarterbacks coach) Drew (Petzing), (offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt) and the staff have to say and what they feel like I’m getting better at and not so much of what the outside people observe.”
What the outside people observed against the Saints was Watson posting a career-low 47.1 passer rating. That was even lower than the 53.4 rating he posted against the Texans in his first regular-season start after an 11-game suspension.
There have been variables which have played into how the Browns have been able to evaluate Watson’s actual growth since getting back on the field. That evaluation, especially with the team officially eliminated from playoff contention, is the singular goal of the organization over the final two games against Washington and Pittsburgh.
Watson’s first start was played with the understanding there would be rust after a 700-day layoff since playing in a regular-season game. The last two weeks, against Baltimore on Dec. 17 and especially against New Orleans last Saturday, he had to deal with weather conditions that could impact the lens through which his performance is viewed.
Against Houston, played inside of a domed stadium, Watson was 12-of-22 passes for 131 yards and an interception. He was 15-of-31 for 135 yards with an interception while playing in what was the second-coldest Browns home game ever against the Saints.
“There is a lot that plays into that,” Van Pelt said. “Really, you think about him starting in Houston and then having that first time out again after so long. That plays a role. Then getting some weather games does play a role. Hopefully, these next two games, we will have some decent conditions and we can really see where we are at right now. Yeah, there are some factors that played into our evaluation process.”
The forecast for Sunday’s game at Washington is calling for exceptional weather for a game played on New Year’s Day. The temperatures are going to be in the upper 50s, with partly cloudy skies.
That’s a far cry even from the upper-20s and snow that Watson faced against Baltimore, let alone the arctic conditions of last Saturday. However, those are conditions − save for the extreme temperatures − which aren’t exactly foreign to playing in Cleveland in mid-to-late December or into January.
These final six games are as much about preparing Watson for next year. Learning to deal with the late-season Cleveland weather may be part of that. But it pales in comparison to getting himself back to a level of quarterback play the former Pro Bowler was accustomed to before the nearly two-year hiatus from playing.
“I mean, guess it helps,” Watson said. “My biggest focus is just trying to get acclimated to the organization, to how we run things from practice to regular game weeks to game day. So much of the weather I can’t really control. That’s out of my control. So my main focus is really just preparing myself to get ready and be the best I can be for us to have a chance to win on Sunday.”
The last time Watson finished out a regular season, it was in the 2020 season with the Texans. He ended the year with his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection. He led the league that year with 4,823 yards, as well as in both yards-per-completion (12.6) and yards-per-attempt (8.9).