When the Cleveland Browns dropped their contest to the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend, several issues reared their head for the AFC North squad.
For once, none of them were Deshaun Watson’s performance.
The quarterback finished the game connecting on 24 of his 32 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, and he ran when needed eight times for 32 yards.
Despite acknowledging that Watson played better against the Raiders than in previous 2024 regular season contests, Browns great Hanford Dixon was not satisfied that the team finished with a loss on Sunday.
On “The Hanford Dixon Show” this week, the titular host did not hold back his thoughts on Watson’s time wearing a Cleveland uniform, telling his viewers that the team had not gotten the player they expected.
“When we signed Deshuan to the $230-million contract, we were expecting the guy with explosive plays, high-scoring offense; to date, right now, that just hasn’t happened,” Dixon said.
The Deshaun Watson on the field is not the Deshaun Watson the #Browns paid for. #DawgPound
"When we signed Deshuan to the $230M, we were expecting the guy with explosive plays and a high-scoring offense, and that just hasn't happened."
– @HanfordDixon29 pic.twitter.com/Lz3BEfIgKD
— The Hanford Dixon Show (@TopDawgShow) October 4, 2024
Dixon expounded on Watson, explaining that the veteran signal-caller had played “well enough for us to win” against Las Vegas, but the analyst also recounted all of Watson’s stats while with the Browns.
In 16 games for Cleveland, Watson has thrown only 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, a figure Dixon admitted was “not great.”
Cleveland implemented a new offense during the offseason and preseason, setting up more three- and four-receiver sets to allow Watson to get the ball into playmakers’ hands in space.
Through four games, the offense has been anything but explosive, netting just over 246 yards offensive each outing.
NEXT: Greg Newsome Makes Big Personal Announcement
