CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns would be wise to let Deshaun Watson sit out Sunday’s game against San Francisco.
I don’t care if he’s medically cleared or whatever you want to call it, there’s something wrong with the QB’s right shoulder. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Watson could be out for several more weeks.
I’ve heard from Baker Mayfield fans about how he played with a bad left (non-throwing) shoulder in 2021. He has been medically cleared to play. He played, and most of the time he stinked.
This isn’t a knock on Mayfield. He was injured, period. His performance showed that. To this day, I don’t understand why the Browns continued to play Mayfield in 2021 even though they had a capable and experienced replacement in Case Keenum. Several times I wrote columns imploring the Browns to replace Mayfield with Keenum.
It didn’t matter that Mayfield wanted to play. The NFL is a bottom-line performance company.
Consider it:
2020: Mayfield had an 11-5 record for the Browns. He completed 63% of his passes, 26 touchdowns versus eight interceptions. Rating of 95.9. He was healthy.
2021: Mayfield had a 6-8 record for the Browns. He completed 60% of his passes, 17 TDs vs. 13 interceptions. Rating of 83.1. He was mostly injured.
2022: Mayfield had a 2-8 record between Carolina and the LA Rams. He completed 60% of his passes, 10 TDs vs. eight interceptions. Rating of 79.0. During the season he suffered an upper ankle sprain.
2023: Mayfield has a 3-1 record for Tampa Bay. He is completing a career-high 70% of his passes, seven TDs vs. two interceptions. His rating is 101.5. He is healthy.
Baker Mayfield greets Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson after a game in 2018.
I’m thinking of Baker Mayfield
My theory is that Mayfield’s shoulder wasn’t the only thing bothering him in 2021. He also suffered a high ankle sprain. Eventually, his confidence waned by the end of the year.
What if the Browns had simply benched Mayfield midway through the season when it became clear he was injured? They finished 8-9.
Maybe they would have won a few more games with Keenum, who has a career record of 29-35 as a starter. He was 2-0 for the Browns in 2021. Or maybe not.
But Mayfield wouldn’t have endured such a beating. Last year he looked shaky at times. He was struck down by a sprained ankle last season.
Mayfield is off to a fast start in Tampa Bay. The Bucs had a relatively easy schedule, beating Chicago (1-4), Minnesota (1-4) and New Orleans (3-2). Their loss is 5-0 against Philadelphia.
Schedule aside, Mayfield is healthy and playing well. His confidence is back. We’ll see if it holds up.
It’s true that Mayfield couldn’t help himself with some of his comments during the 2021 season. He continued playing despite not being anywhere near 100 percent physically, but was upset when his performance was negatively criticized. He sometimes sulks.
But the way the Browns handled him this season also posed a significant problem.
Deshaun Watson will miss his second straight game this season when the Browns play the 49ers on Sunday.
I’m thinking of Deshaun Watson
I’m not a Watson apologist. I was appalled by the trade that brought him to Cleveland. Fans know the story. Six draft picks for Houston. He has a mega contract. An 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct, according to the NFL.
But I won’t fall into the trap of saying there’s something wrong with Watson because he missed the last two games because of his rotator cuff issue.
Yes, it is medically safe. The same was true for Mayfield, and his shoulder wasn’t even the one used for throwing. It didn’t work for Mayfield or the Browns.
The Browns have a big investment in Watson. His story shows that he is playing.
I have serious concerns that Watson will be that elite QB that the Browns believe he will be. He sat out all of 2021 and played just six games last season. Yes, he’s only 27. But that means he misses a lot of games due to his off-field issues.
He could end up being a good QB. He showed that in a 27-3 win over Tennessee on September 24th. He injured his shoulder in that game but never missed a snap.
With Watson sitting out Sunday’s game against San Francisco, his shoulder will have four weeks to recover before the Browns play in Indianapolis on Oct. 22. The hope is that the inflammation in his shoulder will subside and he can play.
The Browns’ concern is that Watson would rush back, not be anywhere near NFL-ready, and suffer another arm injury. Then there could be a repeat of Mayfield in 2021.
The team cannot allow that.
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