Latest Deshaun Watson intel proves Browns are giving up on this season

The Cleveland Browns have a few things to be encouraged by ahead of Week 7. RB Nick Chubb is back and ready to lineup in the backfield for the Browns' crucial game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Jack Conklin will be getting his second go of the season after he returned from injury. The team's defense is solid as always, led by DE Myles Garrett. And, the team only lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by four points in Week 6.

However, one major sticking point for the team's offense that has been bothering Browns fans so far this season is just how long QB Deshaun Watson can survive as the team's QB1. In his last six starts this season, the team is 1-5. Watson has one of the worst EPAs in football amongst eligible quarterbacks, and the worst QBR of any in the league so far this season. He is constantly sacked because he refuses to use his legs to get out of a collapsing pocket. And, when he does get a pass off, balls are often thrown short of their intended targets.

So, how much longer can Cleveland stand to see Watson throw games away this season? According to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler and their latest Week 7 column (subscription required to read), they can keep waiting for years thanks to the way Watson's contract is set up to haunt them.

Graziano says of "the Browns' ticking Deshaun Watson clock" that he has "no idea how badly he has to play in order to get benched."

"The worst part is Watson has no obvious incentive to get any better. If you know you're going to get paid $2.5 million a week no matter how you perform and you know you can't lose your job no matter how you perform, how motivated can you be to do the necessary work to improve?," explains Graziano of how he views the rest of the season going for Watson.

"My sense through all of this is the Browns are resigned to their fate, having no choice but to ride this out and hope things turn. Any decision to bench Watson would inevitably involve team owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry, and they need to give Watson superfluous chances to rediscover even a semblance of his old game, due to the contract. Or they could bench Watson with the promise to return to him in a few games, like an extended break, which might end up being the best course.," added Fowler about Watson's fate with the Browns moving forward.

Amari Cooper trade signals the Browns are done trying this season

As Fowler mentions, the Browns seem fine with just riding out this process of getting back to his former self with Watson. But, with each passing week, it feels harder to invest hope into the team as Watson continues to struggle to piece together consistently good drives or just good games in general. He will show the potential in one moment - take the second half of Week 6 where he completed 11 of his last 12 passes - and his rust the next.

Now, with Amari Cooper gone and with a contender in Buffalo, Watson is left with some really shaky options at WR1. It's unclear whether Jerry Jeudy will be getting most of the targets now or if Elijah Moore will suddenly become important at his job in Week 7. HC Kevin Stefanski mentioned to media prior to Wednesday's Week 7 practice that even rookie Jamari Thrash can get an elevated role with the squad with Cooper gone.

Cooper, though, was far from issue with this offense. The offensive line in combination with Watson's extremely uninspiring play hurt his chances to put up numbers. With him gone, the team looks worse on paper, and shows that Cleveland might be fine with a losing season.

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