NFL coaches discuss struggles of Browns' Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski insists he's not benching quarterback Deshaun Watson anytime soon despite Watson's struggles and the club's 1-4 record. 

One unnamed NFC coach recently spoke with ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi about all that went wrong for Watson and the Browns over the season's first five weeks. 

"I actually think he's still got a lot of the arm, talent and ability, maybe not quite as mobile as [he] used to be," that coach said about Watson. "It just looks like he's disjointed, and the entire offense is disjointed. There doesn't appear to be a lot of trust in what's going on around him and that can lead to bad play really fast. People underestimate how important that is. I don't think it's talent or scheme, they just aren't on the same page."

Watson made just 12 regular-season starts for multiple reasons from September 2021 through the 2023 campaign. He suffered a significant shoulder injury last fall, reportedly the reason Cleveland replaced offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey this past offseason. Dorsey was tasked with constructing an offense meant to "comfort" Watson, but the 29-year-old largely looked out of sorts across his first five games in that system.

According to Pro Football Reference, Watson ended Week 5 ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 21.0 adjusted QBR and a 31.2% passing success rate. ESPN stats show the Browns began Tuesday ranked 30th in the league with an average of 15.8 points scored per game. 

It's worth noting that injury issues impacted Cleveland's offensive line before Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku went down with an ankle sprain in Week 1. Additionally, Watson and the Browns have been without star running back Nick Chubb since Week 2 of the 2023 campaign. 

"To begin the season, Kevin and Ken tried to incorporate more spread-type formations that Deshaun had got comfortable with during the [2019-2020 seasons with the Houston Texans]," an unnamed AFC coach told ESPN. "Allows him to make quick decisions and make some unscripted first downs with his legs. The injuries to the Browns' offensive line and [Njoku] have caused them to adjust."

Those adjustments haven't done Watson or the Browns any favors. Still, there remains no sign that Stefanski will go to backup Jameis Winston for Cleveland's game at the 2-2 Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Browns as 8.5-point underdogs for that matchup.