When the Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback, they made it clear that they wanted quarterback runs to be a part of the offensive identity. Watson smiled as he talked about working with head coach Todd Monken to incorporate his rushing, and there was a noticeable increase in designed quarterback runs in Cleveland’s practices.
Unfortunately for the Browns, Watson’s athleticism proved not to be a factor in the team’s embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The veteran quarterback finished the game with six carries for 38 yards, which led Cleveland in rushing, but that says more about the Browns’ ineffectiveness on the ground than it does Watson as a rusher.
Overall, Watson didn’t appear like a rushing threat that defenses should fear, and Cleveland has to take that into account as it continues to establish its offensive identity.
Deshaun Watson’s athleticism looks like a non-factor for the Browns offense
Of Watson’s six carries, three were scrambles and three were actually designed quarterback runs. The split in yardage was nearly equal, with 20 of his rushing yards coming on scrambles and the other 18 coming on the designed runs. In both cases, his longest run was only nine yards.
Simply put, neither the volume nor effectiveness of Watson rushing was enough for defenses to really feel threatened by him on the ground. At best, the possibility of him running will hold defenders in place, creating more lanes for Quinshon Judkins and the running back room, but that didn’t happen on Sunday either.
Judkins finished with 12 carries for 33 yards (2.8 per rush), and the only other running back to record a rush was Raheim Sanders, who had one carry for one yard. So Watson didn’t really make a difference on the ground with his own yards or others’ yards.
Could that change moving forward? Sure, in theory; players aren’t defined by their Week 1 performances. However, it’s clear that the version of Watson that terrified defenses with his dual-threat ability, during his time in Houston, is long gone.
That doesn’t mean the Browns shouldn’t run Watson, but it does mean they should let go of the idea that he’s going to be some big difference maker with his legs. Between his decline as a rusher, obvious injury concern, and poor ball security, Cleveland probably isn’t going to be able to lean on Watson as a runner the way they imagined.
Add us as a preferred source on Google