Browns' Deshaun Watson Needs Game Reps Badly

The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson are entering a pivotal season for the franchise. The Browns, who made the playoffs with an 11-win season a year ago, haven’t made it to the postseason in back-to-back seasons since parachute pants and Members Only jackets were in style.

Watson hasn’t played football at a high level since 2020. As a matter of fact, in the last three seasons, Watson has only played in 12 total games.

He sat out all of 2021 while still with Houston due to a contract dispute and legal issues. He missed 11 games to start the season in 2022 due to suspension. And finally, he missed the final 11 games of last season with an injury.

So, it would stand to reason that Watson would need some live game reps this preseason to get back into the swing of things. He didn’t play in their first preseason game of the year against the Green Bay Packers, and he isn’t likely to play this week against the Minnesota Vikings.

On Tuesday, NFL analyst Tony Rizzo was on “The Really Big Show” on ESPN Cleveland and he believes the Browns are making a big mistake not getting him reps in the preseason.

"I'm glad they said Deshaun is 'scheduled' to play in Game 3," Rizzo said . "That was the news coming out of Berea. He should have been schedule to play in Game 1 and maybe Game 2 too. There's a fine line they have to walk, I understand that.

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“But there's no stopping the game on Sept. 8 when the Cowboys come here. There's no stopping the game to show someone the proper technique."

Watson has to play at a high level this year, no excuses. If the Browns get off to a slow start because Watson isn’t playing well, we might see Jameis Winston take over under center.

The Browns continue the preseason Saturday afternoon as they host the Minnesota Vikings at 4:25 p.m. ET.