Deshaun Watson looks for next step in Browns’ growth in Washington
LANDOVER, Md. − The offense for the Browns since Deshaun Watson returned from his 11-game suspension has struggled to find way to put a lot of points on the scoreboard.
Granted, one could point to a variety of legitimate reasons behind some of those struggles. The rust Watson developed in not playing a regular-season game in 700 days prior to his debut on Dec. 4 at the Houston Texans, or less-than-ideal weather in the final two home games against the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints.
Sunday, though, will mark Watson’s fifth start for the Browns when they travel to face the Washington Commanders, a 7-7-1 team still in the mix for the final NFC wild card spot. Weather also won’t be an issue, with temperatures in suburban Maryland in the high 50s and no precipitation expected by kickoff.
So, after the offense put up just 39 points and three total touchdowns in the last four games, is there a chance to see much more in the next-to-last game of the season?
“I’m always expecting that,” Watson said this week. “We don’t go into a game not thinking that way regardless of the weather. Last week we thought that we can put up however many points that we can. Once those opportunities come, we gotta take advantage of that. But we can’t force the issue, we gotta do the little things and make sure we have our opportunities to get down there too, put up points. So yeah, this is an opportunity for us to be able to continue to improve as an offense as a whole and as a team to go out there and score points and show what the Cleveland Browns is about.”
This is one of two more games for the Browns to get a chance to see what Watson is all about as their quarterback, at least this season. They go into the game with a 6-9 record and their playoff hopes gone after last week’s loss to the Saints.
More than anything else, what remains is a chance to give Watson two more games to find some comfort level with not just the players around him on offense, but also coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The quarterback continues to acknowledge that him getting back to the form he showed in his last full season playing, his 2020 Pro Bowl season with the Texans, is something he’s trying to work through without a timetable of when it will happen.
Watson thinks he is making noticeable progress in how things are working between getting the calls from Stefanski and getting into the offense.
“Just operationally,” Watson said. “Just being able to operate in the system. Not having maybe probably one operational penalty in four games, as I think, maybe two. But that’s really good. And then just being able to control my footwork within the system and just being able to have opportunities to make plays.”
That’s what the Browns want to see most of all, be it Sunday against Washington or in the season finale at Pittsburgh. They just want to see more plays from Watson, the kind that led them to mortgage significant draft − and financial − capital on in a mid-March trade with Houston.
Watson has accounted for two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown since debuting with the Browns. However, they have yet to score more than one offensive touchdown in any of his four previous starts.
The quarterback has talked repeatedly about patience, be it in his own performance or in the offense finding its footing with him. Part of that patience, despite time running out on this season, lies in Watson using that time to acclimate himself to his new surroundings.
“I feel very comfortable,” Watson said. “I don’t have a percentage or a level of where I’m comfortable, but I’m pretty comfortable. I’m happy. I’m enjoying this process. I’m enjoying each and every day getting to know everyone. I don’t know everyone in the building, so I’m still getting to know everyone and how things kind of operate, who I need to talk to outside of football or within football. So that’s just a process that’s not just for night now. It’s the long run and that’s why came to Cleveland. It’s not about right now, it’s the long run. So that’s what I’m looking forward to. “