It's time for the Cleveland Browns to bench Deshaun Watson

• The time has come: Despite the 1-4 start, the Browns are only two games out of first place in the AFC North. The season isn’t lost just yet, but it could be very quickly if things don’t change soon.

• Watson has never found his footing: From 2022 to 2023, Deshaun Watson ranked as the 43rd most valuable quarterback, delivering just 0.52 WAR over two seasons — at a cost of $28 million to the team. During that stretch, he trailed behind players like Joshua Dobbs, Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota.

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Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland has been an unmitigated disaster, one that has seemingly gone from bad to worse over the course of two long years.

The eighth-year quarterback has had the benefit of time and opportunities to catch back up to speed after a significant break from football — opportunities that a $230 million guaranteed contract ensure. But now, the final grains of sand are sinking to the bottom of the hourglass, and the time is coming for the Cleveland Browns to make a difficult decision.

It’s time for them to sit Deshaun Watson.

The Deshaun Watson Trade: Revisited

After an 8-9 finish in 2021, just a year after their run to the AFC divisional round, the Browns believed they were a quarterback away from Super Bowl contention — despite still having Baker Mayfield on the roster. And while Mayfield did not play well down the stretch that year, the former No. 1 overall pick had also played through a shoulder injury for most of the season.

None of this deterred the Browns when the Houston Texans made Watson available in a trade. And despite Watson's holdout and looming suspension due to numerous off-field issues, the Browns traded three first-round picks, a third-rounder and two fourth-rounders to acquire him (along with a sixth-round pick).

Shortly after, Cleveland shipped Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional draft pick and then signed Watson to a record-breaking five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

The trade

It’s difficult to truly track how this trade panned out for the Texans, as all but one of the picks they acquired were traded in other deals (the only pick they kept was the 2022 fourth-rounder, which was used on running back Dameon Pierce), but the trade has been disastrous for the Browns.

*The Browns used the sixth-rounder that came with Watson as part of a package that acquired WR Jerry Jeudy

Watson's tenure with the Cleveland Browns

Watson began his Browns career with an 11-game suspension.

During his absence, Jacoby Brissett took the reins and led the team to a 4-7 record, which was capped by an overtime victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Watson then made his Browns debut in week 13 against his former team, and despite the Browns' 27-14 win, Watson was subpar. He posted a passing grade of just 48.3 and completed just 12 of his 22 pass attempts for 131 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Things never improved for Watson that season. He ended the year with just a 51.0 passing grade, and the Browns finished last in the AFC North at 7-10.

According to PFF WAR, Watson ranked 42nd among all NFL QBs, trailing the likes of Jarrett Stidham, Skylar Thompson and P.J. Walker.

For reference, the last time Watson played football at that point (2020), his 91.1 passing grade trailed only Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. He had also led the NFL in passing yards with 4,823 while throwing 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Watson also trailed only Rodgers and Brady in PFF WAR that year.

While the hopeful few attributed Watson's struggles to the rust that had been built up from his lengthy absence from the gridiron, 2023 offered little improvement.

He appeared in just six games due to injury and wasn’t overly impressive when he did take the field, managing just a 66.8 passing grade and a 58.9% completion rate, tossing seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

He continued to struggle in PFF’s WAR metric, ranking just 35th at the position, narrowly ahead of Desmond Ridder — who was benched midseason for Taylor Heinicke, traded to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason and now resides on the Cardinals' practice squad.

Despite Watson’s absence, the Browns earned a wild-card spot after finishing with an impressive 11-6 record after starting five different quarterbacks throughout the year.

Their surprising run ended at the hands of … the Houston Texans, who blew the doors off the Browns with a 45-14 drubbing. Leading the way was the Texans’ new face of the franchise, Watson’s replacement and eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud.

Time is up: The Browns need to reset at the position

Through five weeks of the 2024 season, the Browns' highly-paid signal-caller has been maddeningly inconsistent. His passing grade has dipped slightly from last season. In three of his five games, he has posted a passing grade below 60.0, including a low point of 42.9 against the Commanders this past Sunday.

His lone standout performance came in Week 4 against the Raiders, where he earned an 88.5 passing grade, throwing for 268 yards and a touchdown. Watson also recorded three big-time throws in that game — the highest number he's achieved in a single game since joining the Browns.

The Browns are now 1-4, their only win coming against the Jaguars, and Watson’s passing grade of 63.3 ranks just 22nd among 36 qualifying quarterbacks. As an offense, the Browns rank dead last in EPA per play, coming in at -0.254.

Yes, the Browns' offense has been even less efficient than the Patriots' (-0.182) and Dolphins' (-0.236).

Many quarterbacks have been benched for less, but Watson’s hugely complicates any such move. He's earning $27.9 million in 2024, with that figure set to soar to $72.9 million in 2025 and 2026 — a hefty sum for a player to just hold a clipboard.

It's a move that doesn't have to be permanent, but something has to change. Through the season's first five weeks, Watson has hugely underperformed in key areas of quarterback play. His 72.1 grade from a clean pocket sits 24th among 36 qualifiers, while his 26.8% pressure-to-sack rate ranks 27th. Even more concerning, he's delivered an accurate pass on just 54.8% of his attempts, ranking 28th.

And things don't get any better in the less stable areas of play, so it's not as though Watson is counteracting his poor play with flashes that are unlikely to continue:

A change needs to be made if the Browns hope to turn their 1-4 start around and earn a playoff spot.

Jameis Winston is currently the backup quarterback, and while he’s been very volatile throughout his career, he may be the best option on the Browns’ roster.

Ryan Tannehill is also available if the team wants to go the free-agent route, while Malik Willis could be a potential trade option, as he looked pretty good subbing in for an injured Jordan Love this season.

The AFC North has been cannibalizing itself in 2024. Despite the 1-4 start, the Browns are only two games out of first place. The season isn’t lost just yet, but it could be very quickly if things don’t change soon.

The Browns’ next four opponents—Eagles, Bengals, Ravens and Chargers—have all faced challenges this season, making now the ideal time for Cleveland to consider a change before the bye week.