Report Says Browns locker room growing impatient with Deshaun Watson
Sources claim Cleveland players are frustrated with quarterback Deshaun Watson's performance and perceived lack of leadership, and his future with the team may be in doubt after a poor season opener.
Cleveland Browns players are reportedly losing patience with quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to an unnamed NFL general manager cited by reporter Jason La Canfora. The GM suggested Watson is testing how long the team will keep him on the field.
"Watson will keep playing like (expletive) to see how fast they'll pull him. He's calling their bluff," the general manager told La Canfora.
La Canfora wrote that multiple league sources say the locker room is fed up with the ongoing drama surrounding Watson and that the team lacks leadership from him at this point. Watson is in the final year of a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, and his future with the Browns is described as uncertain.
In the season opener, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception, as the Browns fell 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team trailed 31-0 early in the third quarter and finished the first half with just 95 net yards and five first downs. His sole touchdown came on a 46-yard pass to rookie Denzel Boston late in the game.
Head coach Todd Monken defended Watson ahead of the upcoming matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, noting that Watson had received all first-team practice repetitions for only two weeks and that the coaching staff and surrounding players also share responsibility for the offense's performance.
League sources cited by La Canfora anticipate that Watson could be benched by the Browns' Week 3 home game, with backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders potentially taking over. The team will face the Carolina Panthers at home after the Buccaneers game, giving Watson another chance to address criticism.