The Cleveland Browns’ offense has been underwhelming through three games of the 2024 NFL season.
Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson missed more than half of last season due to injury, but he entered 2024 healthy, raising expectations in Cleveland.
But the Browns dropped two of their first three games, and the apparent erosion of Watson’s running game has become a topic of conversation. While Watson finished each of his last three seasons with the Houston Texans with 413 rushing yards or more, the quarterback seems to have moved away from being a dual threat.
Watson does not believe using his legs is necessarily the key to reversing the team’s sluggish offense. He made it clear he is “not a running back” when asked about a potential increase in designed runs.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson runs for a first down ahead of New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau during the second half of a game at Huntington Bank Field Sept. 22, 2024, in Cleveland. (Jeff Lange/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I’m not going in there to ask them for more designed runs. … If I don’t have to run, I’m not going to run,” Watson said. “I’m not trying to take any hits. … I’m not a running quarterback, in a sense. 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.”
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Star running back Nick Chubb started the 2024 campaign on the reserve/physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a serious injury from Week 2 last season. Chubb underwent two separate surgeries to repair an ACL and MCL.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hands off to running back Nick Chubb in the first quarter against the Bengals Dec. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA Today Network)
Without Chubb, the Browns have rushed for an average of 95.7 yards per game, which ranks 24th in the NFL. The offense is averaging 3.8 yards per play through three games.
Watson ranks near the bottom in most major statistical categories.
The Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson walks off the field after a game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
But all the numbers are not entirely bleak. According to data compiled by TruMedia, an estimated 75% of Watson’s rushing yards are the result of scrambles. The three-time Pro Bowler has racked up 85 rushing yards on 14 carries. Only nine NFL signal-callers have run for more yards than Watson this year.
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Watson did acknowledge the potential benefits of him running more, but he said the risks outweigh the possible rewards.
“I won’t say that it won’t help out the offense as far as just a run game,” he said. “But coming back from [shoulder surgery], I don’t think that is a high priority for [coach Kevin Stefanski] to put me in that situation.”
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