BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are reeling offensively. There are many issues at play, but the player at the forefront of the offense is quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson has yet to throw for 200 yards through six games this season. His current Adjusted Total Quarterback Rating (QBR), which values the quarterback on all play types on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced, sits at 21.5—making him the lowest-rated quarterback in the league.
Statistically, Watson has been the weakest quarterback in the league through the first six games of the season.
It is true that there have been struggles in pass protection along the offensive line, which has been plagued by injuries that have kept the starting lineup ever-changing. There have also been issues with drops across the receivers room, with the Browns leading the league in the volume of drops.
The combined issues have the Browns' focus split in a number of areas. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has, for weeks, said that it takes "all 11" players on offense, as well as he and his coaching staff, to improve the play. Stefanski has owned responsibility for the team's struggles—which has left the Browns with an abysmal 1-5 record.
"Frustrating, got to close out football games and a ton of things that we can do better, that I can do better. But we know where we are, we understand that, can’t hide from that, but not going to look in that rear view mirror. Just focused on moving forward, focused on a big one at home this week," Stefanski said on Monday, one day after another brutal loss, this one to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
But while the Browns prepare for their first home game in three weeks—their first divisional matchup of the season as they host the Cincinnati Bengals—they do so still not looking to make any changes at quarterback.
The Browns are sticking with Watson.
Despite the analytics that put Watson at the bottom of the ratings for qualified quarterbacks across the league, despite the team being unable to score more than 17 points in any game this season, despite Sunday's loss marking the fifth of the season, the Browns remain steadfast in their confidence that Watson can turn his performances around as the rest of the offense works to do the same alongside him.
"I think it’s just important that we continue to do everything we can to play good, sound football. I think there were moments of that, obviously, yesterday. I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win, continues to give us the best chance to win, and we need to play really good offensive football at his position and really at every position to be successful on Sunday," Stefanski said.
The Browns will not turn to Jameis Winston, who they signed in the offseason, to both backup and support Watson personally. They will not turn to Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who they drafted last year to develop and grow while preparing for a backup role.
Some fans have wondered who is behind the decision to continue playing Watson and if it's the front office led by general manager Andrew Berry or even owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam. However, Stefanski said the decision was his choice.
"I don’t get caught up in narratives, but we have a good dialogue with myself, Andrew, ownership, about all things that have to do with this team. They’ve been nothing but supportive, and any decision when it comes to football is my decision," Stefanski said.
The Browns aren't moving on from Watson, but with the level of his play and the team's record, there have to be changes.
Those changes may just have to come in the form of preparation in practice rather than across the roster and depth chart.
To better protect Watson and give him the best shot at turning his game around, technique is a current emphasis. It's the emphasis for the offensive line as they work on blocking schemes and game plans, but it extends across the offense to include "all 11" players, as the team has made clear is their focus.
Running back D'Onta Foreman said they've been more physical over the past several weeks during padded practices, hoping to simulate real looks that defenses will give them. He said his group embraces their role in making change.
"It's very important. We take pride in not seeing 4 get hit, not seeing 4 go on the ground and we all got to do a better job collectively of helping him stay off the ground. And we take pride in that. We have to be better when we step on the field. So we do it every day. We always got blitz pickups, some variation of some type of blitz to where we're able to see what's going on and be able to fit up on our guys," Foreman shared.
Stefanski also said those fundamentals are a point of emphasis as they move forward and try to improve on offense.
"I think it always comes back to, when you’re thinking tangibly, at least for me, technique. And it’s footwork, it’s hand placement, all those things," Stefanski said. "And obviously, like D’Onta said, with pass protection, with pads on, it’s a physicality. So, for us, our ability to get better with our technique as the season goes on is really, really important.”
Should these changes and points of emphasis truly help turn the offense, it remains to be seen. The Browns get another chance to break what is now a four-game losing streak against the Bengals on Sunday. A record of 1-5 begins to shift the Browns out of playoff conversations far earlier than anyone would like, but divisional matchups play a big role, so starting a turnaround there carries much more weight.
That desired turnaround comes with the plan to continue playing Watson. And while the fan base may have lost any confidence in the quarterback they may have held at the start of the season (and will need proof on the football field to ever regain)—the team continues to stick by their quarterback through the struggles and external strife.
"I got the utmost confidence in 4. I think, personally, from my perspective, he gets the raw end of the deal a lot of times. I think that from us being in this building each and every day with him and seeing the way he comes in and prepares and works and leads this team and does everything he has to do to try to help us go out there and get wins, it's not all on him, Foreman said. "And I want to be the first to say that it's not all on him. It's a team sport; it's a collective sport. And that man goes out there each and every day and puts it on the line. He's taking hits; he's getting back up, standing in the pocket, delivering passes and just fighting.
"From what I see, the way he's fighting each and every day, I appreciate that and I want to play for a guy like that. I want a guy like that to lead this team. So me personally, I got the utmost confidence in him and I'm rolling with him until it's over with."
