The Cleveland Browns just can’t seem to catch a break.
Just when they were coming off their best win of the season, and perhaps the biggest since Kevin Stefanski took over the team, Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury.
Even if he’s still not playing at his former MVP-caliber level, Watson’s presence has been instrumental for the Browns.
As shown by James Palmer, the team has averaged more than double the points per game when Watson starts (28.7) in 2023 compared to when he doesn’t (14.0), and that includes Week 7 at Indianapolis when he was only on the field for a handful of plays.
Deshaun Watson has started 6 of the 9 games for the Browns in 2023, and that Includes Week 7 at Indy where he left in 1st QT & didn’t return with an injury
The Browns have averaged more than double the PPG when Watson starts (28.7 ppg) in 2023 than when he doesn’t (14.0 ppg)
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) November 15, 2023
Watson gave us all a glimpse of his former level in Sunday’s epic comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens.
He was perfect in the second half, not missing a single throw, and extending plays with his feet to grit his team down the field.
To make things even more impressive, he did all that after suffering a major hit in the first half, a hit that led to this season-ending injury.
The Browns gave up multiple valuable picks to get Watson, and then they signed him to one of the most head-scratching contracts in recent NFL history — all things considered.
He hasn’t been able to live up to that contract thus far.
And while he’s still young and should be back under center by the start of next season, chances are he’ll never be able to pay the team back for all they’ve done to get him on the field.
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Insider Reveals Why The Browns Traded Josh Dobbs