The Cleveland Browns are excited to get their franchise quarterback this week. Deshaun Watson will give an instant jolt to these three offensive players.
The moment we have all been waiting for has come as Deshaun Watson will finally suit up the Cleveland Browns and be the starting quarterback for the final six weeks of the season. So far it has been a bit disappointing as the 4-7 Browns have lost two or three games they easily should have won, but Jacoby Brissett did a fantastic job in the interim keeping this team competitive.
Not only does Watson return from an 11-game suspension in 2022 after not playing at all in 2021, but he also returns vs. his former team, the Houston Texans. The Browns will be favorites in this game, but you can bet the Texans will give it everything they have to show their former quarterback they are better off without him.
As good as Brissett was during his time as the starter, Watson will bring the next level of play to this offense. Here are three guys that will instantly improve with Watson on the field.
3 Cleveland Browns who instantly improve with Deshaun Watson
Player No. 3 – Jedrick Wills
I don’t think anyone would argue that the jury is still out for Jedrick Wills. When Cleveland took him with the 10th pick in 2020, the expectation was for him to be the long-term left tackle and the first bit of stability at the position since the departure of Joe Thomas.
Now the Browns will have a tricky decision to make this offseason on if they want to exercise his fifth-year option. Wills has struggled with a few injuries and continues to be sporadic at the position. He will have a game where he plays well, and then follow it up with a game where he can’t slow anyone down off the edge. Watson’s athletic ability will quickly help Wills out and give him more confidence.
Brissett was elusive and made some plays with his legs, but nothing like what Watson will be able to do. Wills may still give up a few pressures, but Watson won’t get sacked nearly as easily as Brissett or even Baker Mayfield did in the past.
Player No. 2 – Nick Chubb
It’s hard to say one of the best running backs in the league like Nick Chubb has a lot of room for improvement, but I think you will see a big difference as early as this week for Chubb. As good as Brissett was, defenses loaded the box against Chubb and at times made it difficult. The Cleveland Browns are lucky he is as good as he is, to still grind out some yards vs. eight and even nine-man boxes at times.
You’re going to see that change quickly, or Watson will throw for 350 yards per game (or more) with the box that loaded. With someone as accurate as Watson, and weapons like Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and David Njoku, it will be a field day out there and you may even feel like you’re watching the Browns’ secondary get torched if you aren’t careful.
Look for Kevin Stefanski to spread things out a little more than he has to begin this year utilizing David Bell and Anthony Schwartz more and getting Chubb a look at six-or-seven-man boxes.
If you give this offensive line a chance to block one on one, you could see Chubb run for 100-plus yards easily in these next six games. Not only will you see a big pickup in the run game, I think the screen game will become a bigger factor as well with Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Teams loaded the box and didn’t feel the need to blitz which made those plays harder to execute. With teams trying to get more pressure on Watson, the screen game could quickly become huge.
Player No. 1 – David Njoku
When the Cleveland Browns gave David Njoku the massive extension this offseason, I was a bit surprised. He had been a little inconsistent at times and has missed a lot of games from injuries over his career.
But the more I think about it, this signing was all because of Watson.
In this Stefanski offense, Njoku has the potential to be a top-five tight end in the NFL. He has the athleticism and ability to make incredible catches, and he has improved tremendously on his blocking which allows him to stay on the field every play of the game.
Watson has never had a security blanket like Njoku in his career. Remember, a guy like Cooper is going to draw the team’s best defensive back every single game. He will still get open and he will still get looks, but a guy like Njoku is someone that is a matchup nightmare.
Will a team be willing to use a safety to cover him? If he does get matched up with a linebacker, he will win that battle every single time.
Njoku has missed some time in 2022 but overall has been really good this season (almost worth the money). He can do no wrong right now as he has the catch of the year on fourth down which made the win possible last week vs. the Buccaneers.
But with Watson returning this week, look for him to have his big breakout game. I think you could consistently see him with seven or eight targets a game and the potential for 100-plus yards and a touchdown vs. the Texans. This trend will hopefully continue for the duration of the duo together in Cleveland.
3 Cleveland Browns that must be cut in the offseason
The Cleveland Browns are projected to be just $4.8 million under the cap in 2023, which means they should be looking to shed some expenses in the offseason