Longtime NFL QB Pleads Browns to Bench Deshaun Watson Mid-Week 5 Game

The season from hell is continuing for the Cleveland Browns. Things got so bad in Week 5 that fans and analysts alike started calling for big changes before the game against the Washington Commanders wrapped up.

In the middle of the third quarter, voices that believe Deshaun Watson should be benched in favor of Jameis Winston started to get louder. One of the names was former NFL quarterback turned analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick. The long-time quarterback who last played for Washington in 2021, posted a GIF of Winston putting his helmet on and getting ready to enter the game.

Fitz Magic and Winston were teammates in Tampa Bay for two years, so he is all too familiar with what the talented signal-caller can do. Plus, it was impossible to argue that any competent NFL quarterback would have been worse than what Watson did in Week 5.

This will be the fifth straight game that the Browns weren't able to go over 300 total yards. By the time the Commanders pulled QB Jayden Daniels from the game in the fourth quarter, the Browns were averaging 3.4 yards per play and had a total of 171 yards. They were 0/11 on third downs, allowed seven sacks, had eight penalties, and lost a fumble.

The most embarrassing part of it all came in the third quarter. Head coach Kevin Stefanski wanted to go for it on the fourth-down play but Watson walked off and wanted to call a timeout there with 12 seconds left on the clock. Stefanski didn't want to burn his second timeout of the half and decided to kick a field goal instead. The tension between Stefanski and Watson and the mutual frustration were palpable on the sidelines.

It is clear that the Browns need a change. What is the easiest thing to change at this stage of the season that could have the biggest impact? The quarterback. Let's see if Jameis Winston can inject some life into this joyless Browns team.

More Browns news and rumors: