Deshaun Watson bounce back for Browns
It’s safe to say after two years the Deshaun Watson experiment hasn’t gone according to plan for the Cleveland Browns. It’s also safe to say he hasn’t been as much of a disaster on the field as it seems. No, the Browns haven’t been able to win a title — typically the expectation from such a massive trade — but the issue has been availability more than ability.
That’s why despite one prediction of failure after another being released all offseason, there’s finally one out there saying Watson could have a bounce-back season in 2024. Connor Orr of SI.com released “100 Bold Predictions for the 2024 NFL Season” and has Watson silencing the critics with his play.
Orr believes the Browns will finally see the best version of Watson with a prediction that he will throw for 32 touchdown passes and run for 10 more.
“Speaking of the Browns, this is the year we’ll get the on-field season we’ve expected from Deshaun Watson since his arrival in Cleveland. Despite the team bolstering its roster with two veteran quarterbacks who both have a heap of starting experience (Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley), and jettisoning Joe Flacco to prevent fan sentiment from railroading Watson’s comeback, Watson will be able to piece himself together after offseason shoulder surgery and have the season that some who still root for the team have hoped for.” — Orr, SI.com
Are these numbers realistic for Deshaun Watson?
Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard about how poorly Watson played. But let’s see if the numbers actually prove this.
First, Watson started six games but one of those was against the Indianapolis Colts and he threw just five passes. If we remove the 1-of-5 for five yards with a pick and look at what he did in the five full games he played, here’s what Watson accomplished.
Watson was 104-of-166 (62.6 percent) for 1,110 yards with seven touchdowns and three picks in those games. He added 142 yards and a touchdown on the ground as well.
That means in his full five starts, he averaged 222 yards passing, 1.4 touchdown passes, 0.6 interceptions, 28.4 yards per rush, and 0.2 touchdowns. Multiply that to a full season and he would have been good for 3,774 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 picks. He would have also put up 483 yards with three touchdowns.
Those numbers are far from great for a quarterback making $46 million per season but they’re not as bad as we’ve believed. Most importantly, Cleveland was 4-1 in Watson’s full starts, the same record as Joe Flacco — who many were ready to build a statue of.
In the end, Orr’s prediction falls in the “bold” category. But looking at the strides Watson was making — while playing with a shoulder injury — and it’s not an unreachable one. Still, we need to see Watson take those positive steps before we can believe it because the past two years have been tough to watch.
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