Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, others remain confident in QB Deshaun Watson's confidence

CLEVELAND — The beatings have come both physically and emotionally for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson over the last few days.

Late last week, Watson learned of the death of his biological father, Don Richardson. On top of that, one of his former Clemson teammates, Diondre Overton, was killed in a shooting over the weekend in North Carolina.

Watson remained in Cleveland despite the two deaths and played in Sunday's 33-17 season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys . During that game, his first since last Nov. 12 due to the shoulder surgery, he endured six sacks and 17 hits from the Cowboys.

At one point late, with the score one-sided and the hits continuing to pile up , it was fair to ask if it was time to go to backup Jameis Winston. Watson, though, wasn't ready to come out of the game.

"I’m going to finish the game for sure, regardless of what the score is," Watson said after the loss. "So, yeah, that’s just my mentality, just to compete. You know, I didn’t work this hard to come back even though it didn’t go our way today. You know, just to play only a little bit of it, regardless of how it was going."

Sunday was the latest example of how things haven't been going well all the time for Watson since he's arrived in Cleveland. The March 2022 trade with the Houston Texans was seen by the Browns as the one to finally push a talented roster over into the realm of Super Bowl contender.

Except that, much like the Sideshow Bob rake gif , there always seems to be something waiting around every turn. Some of those things, such as the 11-game personal conduct policy suspension during the 2022 season in connection with the more than two dozen allegations by women in Houston of sexual assault or sexual misconduct during massage appointments, fall on Watson himself.

Others, like the shoulder injuries he dealt with last season, including the one against the Baltimore Ravens in Nov. 12 that led to season-ending shoulder surgery, are somewhat out of Watson's control. Those injuries limited to him to yet another six-start season with the Browns.

That's why Sunday's opener was supposed to be different, a way to remind everyone of the quarterback Watson was. Instead, it only raised more questions about if that quarterback still exists, or if the current version finds himself in a crisis of confidence.

"Yeah, I mean, Deshaun’s played at a very, very high level," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said during a Monday Zoom call. "He’s won at every level of football. He does not lack for confidence."

What seems clear is that Watson lacks for timing and rhythm. Sunday was just the 13th time he's started a game since the 2020 season finale on Jan. 3, 2021.

All of the things that have been discussed ad nauseam about Watson's last three years remain true. However, at some points, it's not about the past and only about the present.

The present for Watson, though, is dealing with the aftermath of Sunday's opener, during which he was 24-of-45 passing for 169 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. That's when he could actually get rid of the ball and not deal with another body blow from the Cowboys.

"He was a warrior," running back Jerome Ford said Monday. "Hand bleeding, you just seeing him take those hits. Of course we don't like it. We don't want 'em to be hit."

The question for the Browns going forward is where does Watson really stand? Was Sunday merely a quarterback who had to deal with a pass rush getting clean looks and being forced to rush throws and take hits? Or was it a symptom of a bigger, more long-term issue?

This week, with the Browns going to play at the Jacksonville Jaguars, will provide a much clearer picture, both of the individual and of the overall offense.

"I think it really goes back to we just have to go play our best as we can on offense," Stefanski said. "And it’s everybody — it’s coaching, it’s players up and down the roster. We owned what happened yesterday. Obviously we’re not thrilled with those results, but we’re going to learn from it and we’ll be better this week."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, others remain confident in QB Deshaun Watson's confidence