Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski won’t bench quarterback Deshaun Watson following a lopsided 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
“We’re not changing quarterbacks,” Stefanski said postgame, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. “We need to play better. I need to coach better. That’s really what it is.”
Stefanski added: “Start with me. Single me out. I need to get it fixed,”
The Browns’ offense was unable to establish much production on Sunday, converting just one of 13 third-down attempts. Watson completed 15 of 28 attempts for 125 yards and one touchdown, and he was sacked seven times and fumbled.
The Browns own a 1-4 record, and Watson, a 2017 first-round pick, hasn’t tallied 200 passing yards in a game this season.
Cleveland’s 3.8 yards per play is the lowest mark in NFL history through five weeks, per Jackson.
“(We’re) trying to figure out what type of offense and identity we want to be at,” Watson said, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.
Watson, who has been unable to recapture his Pro Bowl form, was acquired by the Browns in a 2022 trade with the Houston Texans. He signed a five-year $230-million extension shortly after the trade.
Star wideout Amari Cooper came to Watson’s defense after the game, saying the quarterback shouldn’t shoulder the blame.
“To be honest, I don’t think Deshaun is the problem at all. We can always play better for him,” Cooper said.
The 1-4 start to the season is a contrast to the Browns’ 2023 campaign, in which they made the playoffs with an 11-6 mark. Joe Flacco helped lead Cleveland to the playoff berth after Watson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, finishing the year with a 4-1 record as a starter.
The Browns signed Jameis Winston to back up Watson after Flacco left in free agency this offseason.
Defensive end Myles Garrett believes that the Browns need to some soul searching.
“I think there’s more film on us and what we do, and it’s definitely used to their benefit, Garrett said. “I also think we’re not playing to the standard which we set last year. I think we’ve taken a step back up to this point. So we have to find what we lost last year and then improve upon that. So we have to go back and soul search.”
The Browns will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6.
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