The Cleveland Browns’ hopes of picking up where they left off last season with a solid team and a playoff berth have completely collapsed and mostly on the shoulders of Deshaun Watson.
Watson has led a Browns offense that has not scored more than 18 points in a game and has a win against the also 1-4 Jaguars.
Calls for Watson to be benched and Cleveland’s trajectory looking down are growing louder.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky criticized Watson on Monday, calling him “finished” and the Browns “the worst in professional sports” for the money they owe him and continuing to install him.
“The Cleveland Browns are in the worst situation in professional sports,” Orlovsky said. ‘They’re done, and so is Deshaun Watson. If you want to see a situation where the head coach has absolutely no say in who plays on the field, that’s happening in Cleveland.”
Watson hasn’t led the Browns offense to score more than 18 points in a game this season.
Dan Orlovsky has criticized Cleveland and Watson for the position the franchise is in.
‘Kevin Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year. He is a brilliant offensive mind. And this offense is nothing like the offense that won Coach of the Year twice. They are in a terrible situation.
“And in every way, if you just look at the game and then look at the stats, their offensive performance, and specifically, Deshaun Watson’s offensive performance, is the worst in the NFL. They’re done.
“I don’t think this is a head coach’s decision, and I don’t think it’s a general manager’s decision. I really think this is the owner’s, because there’s no way you’re going to look at this football tape from the last five weeks and say which is our best opportunity.”
‘That’s why it’s the worst situation in all of sports. They could have $150 million guaranteed for a quarterback and justify taking a first-round pick at quarterback next year.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam gave Watson a five-year, $230 million extension, with all money guaranteed, in 2022.
Now, Cleveland needs a major renovation to recreate the success it had last season.