Browns' league-worst OL showing proves problems are deeper than Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns got their teeth kicked in during their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Not only was their much-hyped defense struggling to get much of anything going in the way of impeding Dak Prescott, but Deshaun Watson was so alarmingly bad that fans are already panicking.

Have no fear, Watson was bad. However, this game showed that the Browns a mess offensively without Nick Chubb to steady the ship. The offensive line, long a bastion of success for Kevin Stefanski's team, has been eroded by injury and regression to the point where even they are part of the team's ongoing struggles.

Watson was stuck with Dawand Jones and James Hudson as his starting tackles with Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills on the mend. The result was so putrid that it turned the offensive line from an area of concern to one of the biggest flaws on the entire roster. Cleveland couldn't operate an NFL offense.

The Browns were ranked as the worst pass-protecting offensive line in the league by The 33rd Team. With the third-worst pressure rate and second-worst sack rate allowed, the Browns were going to get any quarterback smacked. Watson being terrible compounded these issues.

Browns ranked as worst pass-blocking OL in NFL after Week 1

Even when grading on a curve when you factor in playing against a star like Micah Parsons, the Browns were still well below average. The interior of the line has always been a strength, but Mike Zimmer appeared to have cracked the code and got rushers home with ease.

The issues were compounded by an inability to run the ball and Watson putting on a performance so bad that it should be shown to aspiring quarterbacks as tape to show how not to play the position. The bad sacks, inaccuracy, and risky throws were shocking.

These mutual struggles are a hallmark of the chicken or the egg problems that have befallen many bad Browns teams in the past. Is the offense bad because the quarterback is holding the ball and letting the rush get home, or is the line not blocking for the quarterback? Against Dallas, both sides of that argument were true.

Unless Watson can suddenly return to his old form when Conklin and Wills get back (and if those two are good themselves), Browns fans may need to prepare for another season of some very poor quarterback play and overall offensive efficiency