CLEVELAND — In the first half of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Deshaun Watson fell to the ground with a non-contact injury that is now believed to be a season-ending Achilles tear.
Leading into the game, Watson was greeted on the field with a shower of boos as he ran onto the field for player introductions. Fans took it upon themselves collectively to voice their displeasure with the quarterback, who struggled immensely through the first six games of the season, and who has been a polarizing figure in Cleveland with the allegations he's faced off the field.
Watson trailed the league in total quarterback rating (QBR) through the first six games, with the Browns ranked last in the NFL for total yards per game. He failed to throw for more than 200 yards in any game this season. The offensive issues stem far beyond Watson—with penalties and poor execution from the offensive line and crucial drops from receivers, among the others—but all eyes point to the quarterback on the offense, especially one a team gave up six draft picks for and signed to a $230 million guaranteed contract.
Displeasure built up throughout the start of this season and spilled out in the Browns' first home game in three weeks. But it was when Watson sustained the injury that the displeasure with the quarterback turned to what many on the Browns viewed as "disheartening."
Near the end of the second quarter, Watson was dropped back for a play. When he made a move to step forward into the pocket, he stumbled as soon as his right foot hit the ground, falling to the field immediately.
On the replay of the injury, a ripple can be seen up Watson's calf, indicating an Achilles tear. The Browns diagnosed Watson with an Achilles injury but want to get more testing done to confirm their belief that the tendon is, in fact, torn. As it stands, the expectation is that Watson's injury will be season-ending.
It's a serious injury that can take over a year to recover from if a player is able to fully recover at all. So when Watson was on the ground, and it was clear the injury was serious, the Browns became frustrated when fans inside Huntington Bank Field started to cheer while Watson was down.
There were expressions of excitement, claps, and the crowd roared louder once trainers came onto the field with the cart to take Watson back to the locker room.
"Anytime someone gets hurt in this league home or away, people don't cheer for that. So it was a little bit disheartening to see the fans cheering when a guy gets hurt and, like I said, he puts his body in line every week. He goes out there every time he plays. Their guy got hurt late in the game. You're not cheering for that. So it's one of those things that I think the nature of the sport, it's kind of an unwritten rule to, you don't cheer those injuries, so you didn't want to see that reaction,” said guard Joel Bitonio.
Bitonio wasn't alone in voicing displeasure in the fan reaction Sunday. Defensive end Myles Garrett opened up his post-game press conference discussing just that.
Garrett said it was tough to see Watson go down with the injury, but the fan reaction made it that much worse.
“It was harder with the reaction that the fans gave. Whether it’s an opponent that goes down or one of our own, we don’t boo. We don’t boo the guys that are injured on the field, especially with the extent where the cart comes out. We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. Could be a season-altering, career-altering injury," Garrett said. "Man is not perfect; he doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones from my glass house. But we need to do better, we need to do better on the football field, and we need to do better as fans for having some empathy for."
Garrett added that he does understand why fans feel frustrated—understanding the Browns are now 1-6 on the season, their lone win coming back in Week 2. But that, he said, is no excuse to cheer on injuries.
“Ultimately, everyone is feeling. And they’re disappointed just like we are. But we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game. And you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall," Garrett said.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II didn't mince words when asked about the fan reaction and how he felt hearing the crowd react the way they did to Watson's injury.
"Oh yeah, no, that was bull****. I noticed it right away. No matter what you feel about a player, performance-wise or not, you don't boo a guy that's down, that can't get up by himself. So yeah that was bull****. So any fan that said anything is bull****," Newsome said.
Watson was defended by his teammates after the game, but perhaps none more ready to call out the fan's reaction than quarterback Jameis Winston.
Winston, who was brought into the Browns to serve as a backup to Deshaun, but more than that, a mentor, sent a direct message to fans Sunday.
This is what Winston had to say:
The way I was raised, I was taught to love no matter the circumstances, especially for people who do right by you. I'm grateful that I had a chance to serve Deshaun, but I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day. Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought should happen with him, he committed every single day that I've been here to be the best that he can be for this team. And I know, I come from the deep south — Birmingham, Alabama, Bessemer, Alabama — so I know the standard that hungry fans want. But the way I was raised, I will never, I will never, pull on a man when he's down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
All of us have unique experiences. All of us have circumstances, conditions, and facts that we face every single day. And I pride myself in being a man of increase and being a man that wants the best out of everybody. I tell myself every morning what I want for myself, I want for everyone, and I do not want the treatment that Deshaun Watson has received from these passionate fans. I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I'm going to support him, I'm going to lift him up, and I'm going to be there for him, because I see the way he fights, I see the way that he works, and I know who he is as a person and as an NFL quarterback. And that's all I have to say to address him. I'm sending up my prayers. I already prayed for his leg and I will continue.
#Browns QB Jameis Winston with a strong message to fans who cheered when Deshaun Watson went down with what is believed to be a season-ending Achilles tear: pic.twitter.com/fGUo90TJ73
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) October 20, 2024
Even head coach Kevin Stefanski said he was disappointed.
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s ever okay to cheer when someone’s injured. I’m sure it’s not every person in that building doing that, but that’s disappointing," he said.
The Browns have two more consecutive home games coming up on the schedule, first hosting the Baltimore Ravens, then the Los Angeles Chargers—though Watson won't be on the field to draw any particular reaction from fans in those games.
