3 Browns Already on Thin Ice Entering Week 1

After a month of training camp and preseason, the Cleveland Browns will officially kick off Week 1 of the 2024 season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

There are a ton of expectations on the Browns this season after they won 11 games and made it to the playoffs last season despite not having Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb. Chubb is on the PUP list to start the 2024 season, while Watson is ready to play after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2023.

For the Browns to make the playoffs (insert odds here) or possibly win the division, it starts with getting a win against Dallas. That said, it won’t be easy as the Cowboys are looking to prove the doubters wrong after a turbulent offseason and disappointing end to the 2023 season.

Heading into Sunday’s home opener, a few Browns players must show up and do their job or they could be on the hot seat to start the season.

1. Deshaun Watson

Watson is the most obvious candidate for Thin Ice as he hasn’t lived up to the massive five-year contract extension Cleveland signed him to in Mar. 2022 after acquiring him from the Houston Texans.

Over his first two years with the Browns, Watson has only played in 12 total games, which isn’t nearly enough considering there are 17 games in a season. However, he was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and missed the final 11 games last year because of injury.

The veteran quarterback was supposed to play in the preseason this summer, but the Browns decided not to play him in the summer circuit. Therefore, Watson’s first live game action since last November will come against the Cowboys on Sunday.

That will not be an easy challenge for Watson as the Cowboys’ defense has Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence flying off the edge, with Trevon Diggs taking away one-half of the field.

Last season, Watson completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions, which is a stark difference from his career completion percentage (66.5).

The Browns need Watson to get off to a great start on Sunday because if not, fans will not have any patience and will call for Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start.