Deshaun Watson knows that the Cleveland Browns offense needs to improve after a 1-2 start to the season, but he doesn’t believe having him run more would be a part of the solution.
Watson was asked during a Wednesday news conference if he wanted Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to scheme up some running plays for him. His response?
‘I’m not going in there to ask them for more designed runs,’ he told reporters, with a laugh. ‘If I don’t have to run, I’m not going to run. I’m not trying to take any hits.’
That Watson would be interested in protecting himself is hardly a surprise. He’s coming off a 2023 season during which he played in just eight games because of a shoulder injury, so staying on the field is his top priority in 2024.
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That’s one of the reasons Watson believes Stefanski won’t emphasize adding more designed runs to Cleveland’s game-plan.
‘I won’t say that it won’t help out the offense as far as just a run game,’ Watson said. ‘But coming back from my injury, I don’t think that is a high priority for Kevin to put me in that situation. Because if I go out there on a designed run and something happens, then now you’re mad at Kevin. I feel like it’s a lose-lose situation, honestly.’
Still, with the Browns ranking 24th in the league in rushing yards per game (95.7) and Watson ranking 10th league-wide in quarterback rushing yards with 85, some believed his athleticism could be an asset in trying to boost Cleveland’s Nick Chubb-less running game.
But Watson simply doesn’t believe using him on designed runs entirely suits his skill set.
‘I’m not a running quarterback, in a sense,’ Watson said. ‘I can make things happen, but I’m not trying to run. I’m not a running back. It’s not my specialty. They signed me to throw the ball, make decisions and be a quarterback, not a runner.’
Watson clarified that he wasn’t ruling scrambling out of his repertoire. He still wants the freedom to take off as he sees fit, especially when lanes open up in front of him.
‘I’m never gonna hesitate pulling it, running it,’ Watson said. ‘Obviously, I’m gonna be smart and not try to run up or run over some defensive guy. That’s not my specialty. But if I can make something happen and try to get something positive, then I’m gonna try to do that for sure.’
Watson is averaging 6.1 yards per carry with a long of 16 on the season, so those scrambles could provide a small spark for the offense.
But if Watson isn’t willing to run consistently, then Stefanski and Dorsey will have to find a way to get Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman going with Chubb still sidelined.
If that doesn’t happen, then the pressure will be on Watson — who ranks 27th of 31 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating with a mark of 71.4 — to significantly up his game as a passer and help Cleveland’s offense reach its full potential.
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