The Cleveland Browns are far from a perfect team, and the haters might say that they're not as good as their 5-3 record shows. There are valid concerns and obvious areas that need improvement, but "overrated" wouldn't be a fair assessment of this team.
That said, Cleveland's most glaring issue is as clear as day. Deshaun Watson might be the team's best option at quarterback for 2026, but he's also contributing to the offense's inconsistent start to the season.
After watching him absorb eight sacks during last week's ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Todd Monken may have finally admitted what everyone already knew — interior pressure will be a problem with Watson unless the Browns do something about it:
“You’re gonna see the similarities each week until you get it fixed,” Monken admitted to reporters after the game.
Deshaun Watson is making the Browns' pass protection issues even harder to fix
According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, seven of Watson's eight sacks came from interior pressure against the Steelers. At least six of those were directly on him. He often ran straight into the pressure, an issue that has plagued him since his days at Clemson.
Watson's pocket presence has been a mixed bag in his return from a near two-year layoff. The Browns have tried to help him by utilizing shotgun at the highest rate in the NFL, and that impacted the Browns' ability to run the ball. Watson's tendency to drift backward out of the shotgun also makes it tough for offensive tackles to set the edge.
Opposing teams seem to be catching up to his tendencies. Through eight games, Watson has taken an astronomical 33 sacks (over four per game), which is 10 more than any other quarterback in football.
The Browns are a work in progress, and they shouldn't let their solid start to the season alter their approach. They should stay the course and try to compete at a high level, even if that means keeping Watson at the top of the quarterback depth chart.
What they cannot allow is for Watson to be here in 2027. The offensive line can only do so much, and while the Steelers deserve plenty of credit for setting the tone and winning the battle in the trenches on Sunday, it's not like they did anything special.
They may have laid the blueprint, though, for every other defense to attack Watson and the Browns. Opponents are going to keep attacking along the interior and pushing the pocket until Monken and company can get it fixed.
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