Can Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns Keep Momentum Going?

Watson has yet to throw for 300 or more yards. 

However, Watson injured his throwing shoulder in that game and ended up trying to play through it before ended up having shoulder surgery. 

When Watson returned in the 2024 season, he said he did not feel right throwing the ball and in the seven games that he played to open that season, he had his worst stretch with the Browns. The Browns were 1-6 and he threw five touchdowns and three interceptions and his yards per play was just  5.3. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in the seventh game of the season and missed the rest of the 2024 season, as well as the 2025 season. 

During the 2026 offseason program, Watson admitted his shoulder was not right in the first seven games that he played before rupturing his Achilles tendon. 

Watson has been using his legs much more this season than in times prior to this year. He is currently second on the team in rushing with 24 carries for 105 yards (4.4 avg.), including a long of 21 yards in last week’s game-winning drive. 

He is also fourth in rushing among NFL quarterbacks. 

Watson was asked if he felt he was quicker than he was before his Achilles injuries. “I’m not sure,” Watson said. “I’m just reacting. I’m just playing ball, man. So, if I look fast, I guess, but if not, I’m not sure. I’m just playing ball, so I’m not even thinking about it.”

Watson ran 11 times last week for 45 yards and was asked if Watson could be utilized more in the running game. 

“I think we’re fine,” Monken said. “I mean, a decent amount of that happened organically, when he scrambled, it wasn’t all, a good number of yards weren’t QB driven. Do I think that’s part of what makes him who he is, his ability to move and get us out of trouble? 

“Of course,” he said. “And as we continue to move down the road, we’ll get better playing around him, Browns stop hurting Browns, and he’ll get better at trusting guys, and trusting his drop and his eyes, and where it needs to be. And again, we got a ways to go, but we got a chance today to clean up a lot of things.”

Watson has been doing more short throws and said he is just taking what the defense is giving them. 

The Greetham Angle asked Watson about throwing down the field more and trying to create more explosive plays. 

Against the Panthers, the wide receivers only caught four passes total and Jerry Jeudy had no catches and was not even targeted. 

“At the end of the day you got to take what the defense gives you,” he said before practice on Tuesday. “I think teams know we want to be explosive, but at the same time, you got to let it come to it. It’s got to happen naturally. 

“Once you try to force those explosives and throw it downfield, and now you’re sitting at third-and-long, and those are wasted plays,” he said. “So, you got to take when those opportunities come and hit them. But at the same time, if it takes 20 plays to get a touchdown, then hey, that’s what we’re going to do.”

It will help if the Browns can get better rushing the ball. The Browns did have a little bit more of a rushing game against the Panthers with 132 yards to loosen up the defense, including runs of 21, 17 and 11 yards. 

However, after three games, the Browns are averaging 87.7 yards a game rushing, 29th in the NFL. Overall, the Browns are 30th in offense, averaging 266.0 yards a game. The Browns are tied for 18th in scoring at 18.0 points a game.

“It can definitely help because now the safeties and secondaries are trying to cheat up, and now you get your one-on-one matchups outside and downfield,” Watson said. “But yeah, we got to continue to try to be as balanced as possible. 

“Create some good running, run game, and rushing yards, so we can get the secondary kind of biting up and we can try to go over the top. But it’s all part of the different game plans and different schemes that every team is trying to do to us.”

Watson and the Browns are set to play their first and only scheduled prime time game on Thursday night and Watson said he’s excited to get back in front of the home crowd.

“It’s huge. It’s major,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase what we’re about on a big national stage. And yeah, we’re super excited. We just ultimately, as a locker room, we just stay locked in, make sure we got our craft and everything, that our game plan is, so we can go out there and execute at a high level. We’re playing a very tough opponent, experienced opponent, and we got to make sure that we have all our things locked in going into that game.”

The Greetham Angle Take: The Browns formula to win is solid defense, holding the opponent to under 20 points (as they did the previous two games) and good special teams play. And then on offense, having an offense that is able to play turnover free and put enough points on the board to win.

Watson has not played extraordinarily well, but he has led the Browns on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter, when it matters most in the NFL.

Extra Points

Elgton Jenkins Update: C Elgton Jenkins did not practice on Tuesday as he’s still in the concussion protocol.

Monken was asked what the plan will be at center. 

“Well, if he can’t get back, then we’ll go with Wyp (Luke Wypler),” he said. “He played at the end of the year last year, has done a great job of working himself back after the injury he had last year and missing really the offseason. And if Elgton can’t go, then I’ll look forward to seeing Wyp play.”

If Jenkins does not play, Monken said that rookie C Parker Brailsford will be the backup center.

“We anticipate Parker (Brailsford) would be our backup.”

No Update on Wallace: Monken was asked if there was any update on WR Dylan Wallace, who left the game with a knee injury and was seen on crutches after the game. 

Wallace did not practice on Tuesday.

“Not yet, don’t have the update yet,” Monken said. “We’re still, don’t exactly know when that’s coming out, but I know we’re still waiting on a few things.”

The Browns have two wide receivers on the practice squad, including WR Jimmy Horn Jr. and WR Bub Means.