Only way Browns can salvage their season is bench Dehsun Watson

Deshaun Watson is a problem. The Cleveland Browns are holding out hope that he can suddenly turn it around and become the player they thought he would be when they traded for him in 2022 but it's not happening.

This isn't some bold prediction, but just the truth. Watson hasn't put up an actual good performance since 2020 — which is nearly a half-decade in the past.

If any other player had gone this long without playing well, they would be done. But Watson continues to get chances. Sure, the contract has something to do with it. The Browns don't want to put him on the bench when he's in year three of a five-year $230 million deal but they have to — unless they enjoy losing.

Watson enters this game with 355 yards and a completion percentage of just 58.2. He didn't do much to improve his overall stats, going for 196 yards (failing to hit 200 again) while completing 56.8 percent of his throws. Sure, he had two touchdowns, but he lost two fumbles as well.

There will be those who want to cling to the fact that they nearly came back. They'll also blame Cedric Tillman for dropping a pass on fourth down, but Watson is the reason they were in that situation. He holds onto the ball for too long, misses wide-open players, and is prone to turnovers. If anyone says they truly believed Watson would guide the team to the win — even if Tillman caught that pass — they're fooling themselves.

That's why it's time to bench him and hand the keys to Jameis Winston. No, Winston isn't an elite player, but the only way this team wins is by moving on from Watson.

It's time to admit the Houston version of Deshaun Watson is gone

Cleveland is still operating under the false belief that Watson could be the player we saw in 2020. There are even some fans who still have that hope, and they point to Watson's "elite game" against Baltimore in 2023 as proof. But even that game wasn't a full 60-minute performance from the signal-caller.

The Browns came back and won as Watson finished 20-of-34 for 213 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Most of that was in the second half when he went 14-of-14 for 134 yards with the touchdown. That means in the first half, he was 6-of-20 for 79 yards.

We keep hearing how great he was in the final 30 minutes but ignore the first 30. Even against the Giants in Week 3, Watson was much better in the second half — following a frustrating first half.

Even if Cleveland wants Watson to be their starter in the future, benching him is the only answer. He's done nothing to change what we've seen over the past three seasons. If watching Joe Flacco excel while he was injured didn't wake him up, maybe being benched while healthy will finally force him to work on his on-field issues.

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