Deshaun Watson under siege as QB's dismal play leads to criticism, calls for benching

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Deshaun Watson is taking hits from all sides, and not just on the field.

Everyone seems to be coming after the polarizing quarterback, whose poor play through five games — he hasn't passed for 200 yards in a game — has prompted calls for the Browns to bench him in favor of backup Jameis Winston.

The pressure is constant.

Whether it's from national TV analysts pointing out him missing wide-open receivers, Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen saying the QB's confidence appears shot or frustrated Cleveland fans venting that they've seen enough, Watson is under siege.

“I don’t hear it. I don’t see it,” he said Wednesday. “I’m not on Twitter. I’m not on any social media or things like that.”

There's a smart decision.

The struggles for Watson, who has been sacked a league-leading 26 times, have put the Browns (1-4) in a precarious predicament as they prepare for this week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles (2-2), coming off a bye.

The team's $230 million investment — they also traded three first-round draft picks — in Watson has made it necessary for the Browns to play him until he either turns it around, gets injured or his performances worsen.

Watson is among the league's lowest-rated quarterbacks (74.4) with just four TD passes in five games. He's rarely looked poised in the pocket, bailing out at the first sign of trouble. Other times, he's been indecisive or off target.

In Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Commanders, Watson, who went 15 of 28 for just 125 yards, didn't spot receiver Jerry Jeudy running uncovered despite his teammate waving his hand over his head in the end zone on what should have been an easy touchdown.

While that play has been highlighted this week by Watson's detractors, there have been plenty of others.

“At this position, no one’s perfect,” Watson said of the criticism. “No one’s going to always make the right read, so you can nick and pick one play here and there, but I think it’s the body of work of the whole game.”

Earlier this week, Allen went on a radio show and said Watson wasn't the same.

“If I’m being honest, he looked like a player who’s had stuff going on above the shoulders,” Allen said. "It’s definitely a confidence thing that’s going on. I always tell people, it doesn’t matter how great a player you are, if you don’t have confidence, you’re not a good player.”

Watson shrugged off Allen's comments.

“That’s his perspective,” he said. "When I step on the field, I'm confident and I just want to go out there and just try to play the best football I can play.”

Coach Kevin Stefanski has publicly supported Watson, saying there was no internal discussion about a QB change this week.

“There’s obviously plays that Deshaun wants back,” he said. "There’s calls that I want back. That happens in the course of a game. We just have to do our best from a coaching perspective, from a player’s perspective, to execute what’s out there.

“I don’t think anybody’s played a perfect game just yet.”

Stefanski, who has also been slammed for his team's ragged start, promised some changes this week but decided he'll hang on to play-calling duties.

Watson said that's a good call.

“We believe in Kevin,” he said. “Kevin’s been doing play calls for multiple years in his league. There’s no faith or love lost in Kevin calling plays. We think he’s the best play-caller in the league. At the same time, as the leader of this offense, I got to make sure everybody’s around so we can execute those plays that he’s calling so we can show that he is that guy that we believe in.”

NOTES: Watson said he has not spoken to the NFL, which had opened an investigation after a woman filed a civil lawsuit against him alleging sexual battery. The sides reached a confidential settlement this week. The league has declined to comment on the matter. ... The Browns placed long snapper Charley Hughlett (ribs) on injured reserve. He had played in 152 straight games. ... CB Denzel Ward (hamstring), TE David Njoku (knee), DE Myles Garrett (Achilles) and C Ethan Pocic (knee) were the most notable players not practicing. Garrett has been taking days off the past few weeks.

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Tom Withers, The Associated Press