Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will need to produce early to keep his starting job.
Getty
The Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback, but there’s a growing belief that it won’t last long.
Chad Ochocinco put Watson on notice ahead of Cleveland’s first two games, predicting the Browns will make a change if they return home with an 0-2 record.
“If they start the season 0-2 — you open with the Jaguars. Then, you have Tampa Bay, then you come home. I’m not sure you play the third game, but you’d have to start that season off either 1-1 or 2-0. Either 1-1 or 2-0. One or the other. If you start off 0-2, they’re making a move. They’re making a move before the season gets too far away from them,” Ochocinco told Scott Thompson of OutKick.
The Browns open the season with consecutive road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their home opener comes against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.
An 0-2 start would immediately turn up the pressure on Watson, especially with Shedeur Sanders waiting behind him and a hostile home crowd waiting.
Chad Ochocinco Questions Browns QB Competition
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken on the sideline during a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.
Head coach Todd Monken named Watson the starter after a close competition with Sanders. Both quarterbacks received first-team opportunities throughout training camp and started one preseason game. However, Ochocinco believes Watson’s hefty contract made the outcome inevitable.
“It was never a quarterback competition. It never was. At no point in any game is the $46 million man competing for a job and would lose to the younger player based on salary,” Ochocinco said. “As an owner and person writing the check, Deshaun Watson was always going to be the starting quarterback no matter what. Now, it’s his job to lose now going forward, and his leash is going to be very short.”
Monken has pushed back against the idea that Watson’s contract affected the decision. He said the Browns evaluated the “full body of work” before determining that Watson gave them the best chance to move the ball and score points.
Monken also stressed that the decision would not be handled on a week-to-week basis. Still, Watson’s history in Cleveland and the presence of Sanders ensure his every throw will be heavily scrutinized.
Watson has made only 19 starts since joining the Browns in 2022, posting a 9-10 record. He has thrown for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 61.2% of his passes.
Browns Still Sorting Through Crowded QB Room
Buffalo Bills v Cleveland Browns
GettyShedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns found a way to retain all four quarterbacks through the initial roster deadline, although only three are currently available. Cleveland kept Watson, Sanders and rookie Taylen Green on its initial 53-man roster. Dillon Gabriel was placed on injured reserve with a back injury and will miss at least the first four games.
Sanders will open the season as Watson’s backup. Gabriel’s eventual return will force the Browns to make another decision, while Green’s athletic upside makes exposing him to waivers a risky option.
View this post on Instagram
If Watson wants to keep the starting job and change the narrative, he must also repair his fractured relationship with Browns fans. He was booed during Cleveland’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills after completing 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards with an interception. Ochocinco believes the frustration is justified.
“The fans are upset, the fans are booing because they have nothing to cheer for,” Ochocinco said. “You haven’t given them anything to cheer for in general. So, the bad taste that’s left in their mouths are the issues that came with you from Houston on top of coming here to Cleveland. You’ve given them nothing to cheer for, therefore that’s why they’re gonna feel the way they feel.”
Winning would be the quickest way for Watson to change the conversation, which was also Monken’s advice for his veteran quarterback. But he faces an uphill battle. Cleveland is a 7.5-point underdog against the Jaguars in Week 1.
[Google Preferred Source Badge
Go here and check the box
next to Heavy Sports](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://heavy.com/)
Google Preferred Source Badge
J.R. DeGroote Browns beat writer for Heavy.com. Covering the NFL and NBA since 2019. ASU Cronkite grad. More about J.R. DeGroote
0 Comments