Getty Image / Patrick Smith
The Cleveland Browns are now 1-4. Their season is teetering on the brink and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski is potentially risking his job if he doesn’t turn things around.
Most of the time, a 1-4 team with a putrid offense like the Browns would be changing quarterbacks. But, after another terrible Deshaun Watson performance in a 34-13 loss to the Commanders, Kevin Stefanski said he’s sticking with Watson.
Deshaun Watson has not been good since they acquired the controversial quarterback from the Houston Texans prior to the 2022 season. There was hope he’d find his old form this year. Instead, he’s been worse than ever. He had just 852 yards in 5 games, and his QBR of 30.7 is putrid. Plus, the entire team seems uninspired by his play.
It just makes sense to bench him, especially with a competent backup in Justin Fields waiting in the wings. But, according to Stefanski, Deshaun Watson’s job is safe.
#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski: "We're not changing quarterbacks. We need to play better. I need to coach better and that's really what it is."
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) October 6, 2024
This just makes no sense. After just 125 yards on 28 attempts on Sunday, Deshaun Watson is averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. That would be an all-time terrible total for a starting quarterback if it lasted for a season. He isn’t doing anything at an NFL level anymore.
Maybe they thing the fully guaranteed $230 million contract they handed him would be too much of a sunk cost. But, that’s just a sunk cost fallacy. THey’re never going to get any value from that contract, so they might as well move on.
But, for whatever reason, they don’t want to, and that likely means the Browns season is over.