BEREA — There have been two times in Deshaun Watson's NFL career when he's been sacked 16 times in three games . Well, two times before the first three games of this season.
There were the final three games of his rookie season with the Houston Texans in 2018 when the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars combined to sack him that many times. There was also the stretch in 2020 between Weeks 13-15 when the Indianapolis Colts (twice) and Chicago Bears got to him that many times as well.
So it's not like the Browns quarterback hasn't been sacked a lot in a small sample size before. It's just never come in a season quite like this one is for Watson, coming off a season-ending shoulder surgery last November and still trying to show he's the quarterback for whom Cleveland sacrificed three first-round draft picks and $230 million guaranteed two-plus years ago.
"Holding up very well, so I'm doing really good, feeling well," Watson said Wednesday. "Each and every week you’ve just got to recover, regroup, get with my team and all the treatment and [regeneration] that we have in this building and make sure I'm ready to go on Sundays. But, right now, I'm feeling good.”
The sacks and hits have been nothing quite like the ones Watson's been taking about the way he's performed through the first three games as the Browns have gotten off to a 1-2 season. A big reason for that has been because of how the offense, specifically the passing offense, has looked through those three games.
Watson's 551 passing yards ranks 26th in the league, and his 71.4 quarterback ranking is 27th. His expected points added of 0.9 is only ahead of the now-benched Bryce Young in Carolina.
The quarterback, along the rest of the Browns offense, has been booed multiple times over two home games.
“I mean, I probably have, but to who much is given, much is required," Watson said. "I've always lived by that on and off the field. So when everything is going right, then you get the praise, and when everything is going bad you get the blame. That’s part of the NFL and part of this position, so to me it doesn't bother me. We just got to find ways to continue to get better each and every week.”
There's the opportunity this Sunday when the Browns (1-2) travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders (1-2). They will face a team that was rolled by the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, but was also the one that came back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens the week before.
What Browns fans were hoping to see more of was the Watson who came back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit at Baltimore last November, the last time he played before his season ended with a broken glenoid requiring shoulder surgery. That Watson has only sporadically been seen over the first three games since coming back.
There are a multitude of built-in excuses, from a new offensive system to the obligatory rust that has seemed to be a constant one for a quarterback who's only made 15 starts over three seasons in Cleveland. The one that has become the debate point of this week has been the protection provided Watson in the pocket.
The Browns haven't had their full arsenal of offensive linemen all season. It got even worse in last Sunday's loss to the New York Giants, when right guard Wyatt Teller, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. — who was just returning from a knee injury — and right tackle James Hudson III all left with injuries.
On top of that, the Giants went against their schematic defensive tendencies by dialing up blitz after blitz. Some of that falls on the offensive linemen, but Watson also shoulders his share in terms of getting rid of the ball quicker.
"Well, we’ve got to all be on the same page," Watson said. "It depends on the blitz, too. It might be a man covered blitz, it might be a zone pressure blitz. It just depends on the blitz. So just because the ball is getting on my hands fast doesn't mean that we're going to be explosive or not. So sometimes we might have the protection and the guys to pick it up. We’ve just got to block it up."
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: Deshaun Watson says he, offensive line 'got to get on the same page' against pressure
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