The Cleveland Browns’ 2024 season opener was nothing short of an epic disaster, as the team fell flat in a dismal performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hosting Dallas in front of their loyal fans, Cleveland struggled in all three phases of the game.
Tom Brady was making his broadcasting debut for FOX. One of the biggest complaints over his performance was the fact that he didn’t criticize Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson nearly as much as he should have.
One figure in the football world who didn’t hold back on Watson or the Browns as a whole is former head coach turned ESPN analyst Rex Ryan.
Appearing on Get Up, Ryan was highly critical of both Watson and head coach Kevin Stefanski for the extremely poor showing.
“That’s what you put out there? You had all off-season, all training camp, and that’s what you put out there?” Ryan vented. “They got out-coached, too. Yeah, the quarterback played like garbage, but that plan was horrible.
“First off, you can’t let Micah Parsons destroy the game. Part of the reason Deshaun Watson looked as bad as he did was because they couldn’t block.”
Watson struggled throughout the fame, completing 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt.
He was sacked six times and threw two interceptions, with Parsons wreaking havoc throughout the game, recording five QB hits and a sack.
Ryan didn’t stop there, taking aim at the decision to trade for Watson, whose massive contract looms large over the Browns to say the least.
“You guys signed off on this Deshaun Watson trade. So it ain’t just this kid making all the money,” Ryan continued. “The guy used to be a hell of a player. We’ve seen him look like the old Deshaun Watson one time since he came to Cleveland, and that was when he hit 13 straight passes to beat Baltimore with a shoulder injury. That’s it.
“Confidence? The kid is playing with zero confidence. And who’s that on? Just the kid? Bull! It’s on the coach as well.”
Watson’s future in Cleveland is complicated by his enormous contract, with cap hits of $72.9 million in both 2025 and 2026.
Since his return from an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct, he has yet to reclaim the form that once made him one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
Watson’s postgame comments didn’t do much to make Browns fans feel better.
Stefanski echoed similar frustrations, particularly with the offensive line’s inability to protect Watson.
“Yeah, he got hit way too often,” Stefanski said. “We can’t let that happen to him. He fought like crazy, and listen, the football team fought like crazy to the end. But bottom line is, we have to protect our quarterback better than that.”
The Browns’ ineptitude sparked boos from the home crowd as early as the first half, and many fans had left the stadium by the third quarter.
Watson acknowledged the supreme disappointment saying, “We’re not the type of people that make excuses. Some people can say injuries or guys missing time played a part, but once you’re on the field, you gotta perform. You gotta execute. We didn’t do that, and it showed.”
Cleveland has little time to dwell on the 33-17 defeat, as they prepare to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, hoping to avoid falling into a deeper hole early in the season.
It’s certainly looking like the Watson trade and the contract Cleveland ended up giving him will both go down as the worst in NFL history.
Of course it would be a bitter financial pill to swallow, but should the Browns consider benching Watson? … Or do you think he’s truly capable of resurrecting his career???