6 Browns Who Won’t Survive the Season Following 1-4 Start
By Cem Yolbulan
The Cleveland Browns are off to a disastrous 1-4 start to the season. They currently have a bottom-three offensive and a bottom-ten defensive unit in the NFL. For a team that made the postseason last year and was hoping to take a significant step forward this year, this is beyond the imagination of even the most pessimistic Browns fans.
This has been particularly disappointing because the Browns haven't even played a particularly tough schedule. Out of their first five opponents, only the Commanders are off to a good start. They haven't played a single true Super Bowl contender. Things could get even uglier as they have to play the Ravens twice, the Eagles, and the Chiefs the rest of the way.
Naturally, when a team underwhelms in such a massive way, finger-pointing starts. Earlier in the week, Deshaun Watson threw head coach Kevin Stefanski under the bus. There have been sulking, bad body language, and an overall lack of chemistry through five games.
This will almost certainly result in big changes within the organization if things don't change immediately. This potentially includes the coaching staff and the personnel alike. Let's take a look at the members of the Cleveland Browns who might not survive the season.
Deshaun Watson, QB
The Browns are 30th in points and dead last in yards per game. It is hard not to blame the quarterback, especially considering the talent level on this team is significantly better than some of the teams around them in the rankings.
At this point, it has been 17 games for Watson in a Browns uniform. He has a 9-8 record with a 60.0% completion rate, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. It is becoming harder and harder to make the argument that he should continue to have the starting job.
Every time anyone makes the suggestion that Watson should be benched, his contract gets brought up. The Browns shouldn't continue to play an unworthy QB just because they made the mistake of making him the highest-paid quarterback in the league two years ago. They should do what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson in the offseason and cut their losses.