The Cleveland Browns desperately needed things to work out with Deshaun Watson.
They gave up way too much to get him, and they doubled down on him by giving him a fully guaranteed contract before he played a single snap with the team.
The talent was there, so even though his legal turmoil and all the backlash he was facing made it a tough move from a PR standpoint, it made sense if we talked solely about football.
However, as much as they’ve tried to do to put him in a position to succeed, the painful truth is that Watson is no longer a star.
Judging by his numbers and the eye test, he might not even be a starter.
Even so, regardless of how much he struggles, Kevin Stefanski continues to roll with him, not even benching him late in games.
That’s why plenty of fans believe team owner Jimmy Haslam is the one calling the shots and forcing Stefanski to roll with Watson.
When asked about that, Stefanski shut down that notion right away, stating that he’s had nothing but support from Haslam and that all football-related decisions are made by him (via Mary Kay Cabot’s X post).
I asked #Browns Kevin Stefanski if Jimmy Haslam is forcing him to play Deshaun Watson: pic.twitter.com/pBwInPTpB4
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 14, 2024
At the end of the day, that doesn’t even matter anymore.
The biggest issue here is that they might be sending the wrong message to the locker room.
Without accountability, there’s nothing, and Watson isn’t performing at the level one would expect from a starter.
There’s nothing they can do to change the past and what they did for him, but two wrongs don’t make a right, either.
NEXT: Browns Reach New Offensive Low After Loss To Eagles
