NFL coach offers defense of Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has reached the lowest point of his NFL career and there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

But is it all Watson’s fault?

A coach of an NFC team doesn’t think so.

A coach told ESPN that Watson still has skill, but he just didn’t connect with the Browns’ offensive system.

“I actually think he still has a lot of arm, talent and ability, maybe not quite as mobile as he used to be,” the coach said, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “It just looks like he’s disjointed and the entire offense is disjointed. There doesn’t seem to be much confidence in what’s going on around him and that can lead to poor play very quickly. People underestimate how important this is. I “I don’t think it’s talent or plan, they just don’t see eye to eye.”

It seems like this particular coach actually believes in Watson as an individual player. He just doesn’t seem to think the 28-year-old is a good fit for Cleveland right now.

And the coach is right: you really can’t attribute all of this to Watson.

The Browns have allowed a league-worst 26 sacks this season, and their rushing attack ranks just 27th in the NFL. There doesn’t seem to be any real sense of direction offensively, and while Watson should definitely take some of the blame, it’s not all on him.

In five starts this season, Watson has thrown for 852 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 60.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 74.8. Since arriving in 2022, he has totaled 19 passing touchdowns and 12 picks in 17 starts with the Browns.

Cleveland is just 1-4 this year.