Deshaun Watson returns on Sunday and makes the Browns better right away. Here are three ways that the quarterback makes that happen
The day has arrived as Deshaun Watson returns to the Cleveland Browns as their starting quarterback in the upcoming Week 13 battle against his former team the Houston Texans. He’s been on suspension for the past 11 games and hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2020 when he was still playing for the Texans.
So, there will likely be some rust to shake off for him as he prepares for the game and then plays Sunday. It will likely take him a bit of time to get back to normal in terms of the game speed. His teammates have been playing for 11 weeks as well, so there will be adjustments with that too.
Despite, these issues that are expected for anyone getting back to the playing field after a long time away from the game, Watson will still be able to give Cleveland several advantages instantly and potentially give them a chance at making a playoff run.
3 ways Deshaun Watson makes Browns better instantly
No. 3: The passing game
When Jacoby Brissett, who’s been the replacement for Watson over the last 11 games, threw for over 300 yards passing in the game a couple of weeks ago, it was a bit of an eye-opener because Brissett hasn’t thrown for that type of yardage regularly in his career. That, however, is not the case for Watson who’s made throwing for big numbers a routine occurrence.
If you included his three playoff appearances, Watson has thrown for over 300 yards in 20 games over his career. He had a string of four straight games in the 2018 season that he threw for 300 yards or more. He finished his 2020 season by going over that same mark in six of the last seven games.
Watson now will be able to take advantage of having several wide receivers that can create opportunities in the passing game. Both Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones are likely very eager to see how the field opens up more for them by having Watson on the field.
Cooper made a huge catch last week to help set up the Cleveland victory in overtime. He now has 57 catches for 792 yards. He’s already collected six games of going over 100 yards gained and that will likely continue with Watson behind center.
No. 2: His threat to run
When Jacoby Brissett ran down the sideline in the early stages of the game last week it reminded us that that’s something we should all get used to seeing when Watson gets on the playing field.
In four seasons with the Texans, Watson rushed for 1,677 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. In his 2019 season, he carried the ball 99 times for 551 yards. For comparison’s sake, former Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, only had 571 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his four seasons with the team.
So, the fact that Watson brings this threat on a regular basis while keeping opposing teams guessing as to what to expect next will be a huge plus. You add in that this current roster has several other stars on offense including Amari Cooper and running back Nick Chubb and that threat only gets more intimidating.
The Browns will likely give Watson more opportunities to play the game where he can read the action of the defense on offensive calls and either keep the ball and run for yardage or hand the ball off to his running backs. That’s not something we saw when the team had Brissett under center. This will also add another layer of unpredictability to the Cleveland offense which is already one of the best in the NFL.
No. 1: Deshaun Watson keeps plays alive
While Brissett did what he could to keep plays on offense alive when things broke down sometimes, it wasn’t part of his game that was a strength of his. Watson, on the other hand, has made it a living over his four seasons to keep the play going when things might look bleak.
Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, has made it part of his game in keeping a play alive, and his teams routinely succeed. Watson will play his game similarly, giving the Browns’ already talented offense even more opportunities at moving the sticks and scoring touchdowns.
There are numerous plays over his career where he had a play breakdown, but he kept trying to find the best way to move forward. Watson has an excellent feel for the game and has usually made the right call on the field when the pressure is on.
This part of Watson’s game will be the best part for fans but also keep all of our blood pressures high. We are used to that as Cleveland fans, so it’ll just add another chapter to the story. There will certainly be a lot of glowing lights on Watson when he takes to the playing field Sunday, but what he can add to his team in terms of instant success is almost a guaranteed thing.
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