Browns get stark Deshaun Watson warning

Cleveland’s 17–12 Week 5 loss to the New York Jets highlighted the Browns’ ongoing struggles to establish their run game.

The offensive approach has also raised questions about how best to get the ground game moving. In a recent article on Substack, The Browns’ Run Game Geometry Is Trash, former Browns center LeCharles Bentley argued that Cleveland was spending too much time accommodating Deshaun Watson’s preference for shotgun formations:

“I think Cleveland is spending too much time trying to make Deshaun Watson comfortable. Watson has historically preferred operating from shotgun. That’s where he enjoyed tremendous success at Clemson, and it’s where he played some of his best football in Houston.”

Bentley noted that NFL defenses had grown better at reading spread concepts and RPOs. He believes Cleveland must prioritize what helps its running game, even if that means Watson has to adjust.

His conclusion was blunt:

“The offense cannot become a hostage to the quarterback’s preferences.”