Deshaun Watson is getting paid a lot of money and losing a lot of games. Yet despite his obvious struggles, the Cleveland Browns are sticking with him as the starter. Head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the media on Monday following a 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that put Cleveland at 1-5 on the season, doubling down on his stance regarding the quarterback situation.
Just as he has said each week, Stefanski said the team is sticking with Watson as their starter. "I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win, continues to give us the best chance to win," he said.
The Browns have Jameis Winston as their backup quarterback, but he will continue to remain on the sidelines. Their No. 3 quarterback is Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Watson addressed the offensive struggles after the Week 6 loss, where he went 16 of 23 for 168 yards, no touchdowns and took five sacks.
"[Me] being the quarterback of this offense with Kevin [Stefanski] and [OC] Ken [Dorsey], we have to do something a little bit," Watson said, via ESPN. "I don't know what we have to do, but we need to do something to lock in, so we don't cost ourselves anymore games. ... [We've] got to really turn this around."
After last week's 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders, where Watson completed just 53.6% of his passes, Stefanski's message was similar to what it was this week.
"We're not changing quarterbacks," Stefanski told reporters a week ago. "We need to play better. I need to coach better. And that's really what it is."
So far this season, Watson has been historically bad under center. He hasn't been able to provide a spark for the Browns offense, which is statistically one of the worst in the league. They have the fewest passing yards per attempt (5.2), the fifth-fewest passing yards (1,036), the most sacks taken (31), tied for the fewest rushing touchdowns (2) and have the third-fewest points per game (15.8).
The Browns will take on the 2-4 Cincinnati Bengals next. If Watson continues to struggle, there will be more pressure for the team to make a change, though right now it seems adamant he'll remain the starter.
