The Cleveland Browns implemented a new offense during the offseason after Ken Dorsey took over the reins from former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Dorsey’s offense relies heavily on three- and four-receiver sets, allowing quarterback Deshaun Watson to spread the field in a set similar to one he ran in Houston during his Pro Bowl days.
The system, however, relies on Watson having time to find the players.
That’s why PFF’s recent X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – post sheds new light on how poorly Watson and his offensive line functioned during their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
PFF reported on the social media site that the Cowboys had the most team pressures in Week 1, notching 40 total pressures on Watson in their 33-17 victory last weekend.
These defenses wreaked havoc on the quarterback in Week 1 😳 pic.twitter.com/ulO2uQgwbP
— PFF (@PFF) September 12, 2024
To put that into perspective, that means Cleveland did not allow the Cowboys to pressure Watson on only five of his 45 passes in the contest.
Dallas led the league by a wide margin after Week 1, finishing with 11 more pressures than the next-closest team – the Seattle Seahawks.
The Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings finished third and fourth, respectively.
Cleveland started the game with two offensive tackles – Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills – sitting the contest out as they were deemed not ready to participate in the contest.
The Browns relied on backup James Hudson III and second-year player Dawand Jones as the tackles in their stead.
Cleveland will look to give Watson more time to throw this weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NEXT: Grant Delpit Sends Strong Message About Deshaun Watson
