Kevin Stefanski wonders if he’s still committed to Deshaun Watson after watching the film and discussing it with the front office

Watson went 15 of 28 for 125 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, for a passer rating of 77.2, and was sacked on one of his seven sacks. He was also hit 11 times, while his Washington counterpart Jayden Daniels was hit just four times. He has now been sacked a league-high 26 times this season and has scored 64 goals. The Browns converted just 1 of 13 third downs, with the only conversion coming after Jameis replaced Winston Watson with 2:28 left.

The Browns are at or near the bottom in almost every offensive stat category, including total offense, passing offense, points scored and third-down conversions. They also rank last in the league with 3.8 yards per game and are last in the NFL averaging just 4.0 yards on early downs.

Stefanski hasn’t ruled out handing over the management of the game to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who ranked the Bills among the league’s leaders in yards and points scored in his more than a year as manager there. Dorsey is also familiar with many of the concepts the Browns are using this season to maximize Watson’s abilities.

“There are a number of different things we want to look at and see how we do operationally on offense,” Stefanski said. “I think Ken has been an excellent partner in all of this. So those are the things I will always look at. But at the end of the day, it’s just about making sure we put our guys in the right position.”

Once again, the Browns had problems with defense, with scheme, with miscommunications, with penalties and dropped passes, including one in the end zone by Jerry Jeudy.

“I’ve been pretty clear this whole time, guys,” Stefanski said. “This is not a one-person deal. If we play the way we play on offense, it’s important that everyone does their job and does their job better. I look at myself and how I can do this. I believe in Deshaun and I believe in what he brings to this offense and I believe he’s going to play better.”

He was asked if the decision to stay with Watson was his alone.

“As you know, I make decisions for our football team, but of course I consult with Andrew,” he said. “We talk about everything that happens with our football team. But ultimately it’s my decision.”

He was pressed about whether Jimmy and Dee Haslam had any influence on the decision. The Haslams gave Watson a five-year contract worth $230 million, the first fully guaranteed contract in NFL history. After this year, he has two more years to earn $46 million per year.

“As you can imagine, I talk to Andrew, I talk to the owners about our football team,” he said. “You know we make great decisions together. Of course I talk to Andrew about everything we do. We talk to the owners about everything we do. That’s exactly how we work.

“But here too I would like to continue to strengthen, we have to play better as a football team. I know we have to play better offensively. I have to do my part to make sure we play better offensively. But this is a football team. This is the greatest team sport there is and we need to play better as a football team.”

Watson pointed out that the Browns lack an offensive identity and the ability to get playmakers involved, which is difficult when you don’t have the offensive power.

“I have to find a rhythm,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. You just have to figure out what we’re great at, what we’re really good at, and perfect that. We’re just trying to figure out how to utilize all the skills of the guys that we have. It’s just a football, but we have a lot of great guys that can make plays and we’re trying to figure that out… we’re trying to figure out what type of offense and identity we want to play in. Time flies.”

When asked what they are particularly good at, he said: “We are trying to find out. We need repetition, we need time. We need to sit down with the coaching staff and figure it out.”

It didn’t help that David Njoku missed most of the season and Amari Cooper got off to a slow start. The Browns also struggled at both tackle positions with Jedrick Wills Jr. (MCL) missing most of the season and Dawand Jones still recovering from MCL surgery. All-Pro right guard Wyatt Teller is out indefinitely with an MCL sprain, and Ethan Pocic missed most of the Raiders game with an ankle injury and injured his knee against the Commanders. Njoku also suffered a knee injury in that game and both players were among the few players to undergo MRI scans on Monday.

Pro Football Focus ranked Watson 19th among 20 Browns offensive players on Sunday with a grade of 40.0, but Stefanski declined to elaborate on what Watson can do better. It’s no secret that teams blitz like crazy because Watson and the Browns don’t handle it well.

“I don’t necessarily want to go into specifics, but I just want to tell you that he’s committed to getting better in this offense,” Stefanski said. “Just like me and the coaches, we strive to give our boys things that they can execute at a high level. I know there’s a lot of emphasis on quarterback play on offense. Definitely understand this. But what can make our entire offense better? And it really starts with me. It starts with our coaches making sure these guys are equipped to be successful.”