When the Cleveland Browns took the field in Week 2, there was a serious possibility that it would be Deshaun Watson’s last time starting for the Browns. After an underwhelming outing in Cleveland’s Week 1 loss, the Browns knew it would be hard to return home in Week 3 at 0-2 with a struggling Watson as the starting quarterback.
Watson faced the pressure and delivered a job-securing performance in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The veteran quarterback completed 24-of-30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns and led the team in rushing with 22 yards. Now, as Cleveland turns its attention to Week 3, it’s safe to say Watson has put a stop to talks about him being benched.
The question, though, is whether Watson put that conversation to bed for good. The answer is absolutely not. The NFL world is fickle, so Watson is really one bad performance away from finding himself back in the same spot he was ahead of Week 2.
Deshaun Watson must stack good performances to end Browns’ quarterback conversations
Barring an injury, Watson is going to start for Cleveland on Sunday. Since he is coming off a good performance, and since the Browns play on Thursday in Week 4, the veteran quarterback is likely locked in as the starter for the next two games. After that, though, anything could happen, and Cleveland’s next step will likely depend on Watson’s performance in Weeks 3 and 4.
If the quarterback looks competent like he did on Sunday, he will remain in the lineup. If Watson regresses, and the Browns suffer embarrassing losses like they did in Week 1, the conversation about moving to Shedeur Sanders will return.
A similar situation unfolded with the New York Giants last season, when they started the season with Russell Wilson as their starter and had Jaxson Dart as QB2. Wilson played a poor game in a Week 1 loss, and the Dart conversations immediately started. However, the veteran Wilson bounced back with a 30-of-41 for 450 yards and three touchdowns to one interception performance in Week 2. While the big outing came in an overtime loss, it was more than enough to stave off talks about a QB change.
However, after Wilson delivered another underwhelming performance in a Week 3 loss, he was benched for Dart ahead of Week 4. That’s just a reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL.
It’s fair to assume the circumstances are similar in Cleveland. Watson knows that his Week 2 performance doesn’t guarantee him the starting spot for the rest of the year. The veteran quarterback will have to stack good performances to fortify his job security, and he will have to keep proving himself.
Notably, Watson will face a big test in Week 3, and that’s playing in front of the home crowd. He was booed by Browns fans when he took the field in the preseason, and he responded by going after them in his postgame press conference. Since Watson is coming off a win and a good game, it’s unclear what the fan reaction will be on Sunday, but Watson has to prove that he can play well in front of the home fans, regardless of their energy.
If Watson can pass that test, he’ll be in the Browns’ lineup until he gives Cleveland a reason to think otherwise.
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