Browns Deshaun Watson Refuses To Do One Thing To Help Offense

Not everything is on the table for the Cleveland Browns to jumpstart their struggling offense. The 1-2 Browns have yet to score more than 17 points in a single game this season.

According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Deshaun Watson had a sharp response to a reporter's question on Wednesday as to whether the quarterback wanted more designed runs.

Watson said he wasn't a running back and didn't sign up to being a rushing quarterback, he wants to pass the ball.

"I'm not going in there to ask them for more designed runs," Watson said. "If I don't have to run, I'm not going to run. I'm not trying to take any hits. I'm not a running quarterback, in a sense. I can make things happen, but I'm not trying to run."

Watson is 67-of-116 passing for 551 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through the first three games. He ranks 32nd out of 35 quarterbacks for QBR heading into Week 4, per USA Today.

A pedestrian running offense isn't helping to alleviate pressure off Watson and the passing attack. The Browns have only rushed for 287 yards.

The question from the reporter about designed runs for Watson didn't come out of thin air. The Clemson legend ran for 444 yards in 2020, the same season he led the league in passing as a member of the Houston Texans.

Watson's passing stats have declined along with his running abilities since he joined Cleveland. While it might be tempting to have Watson go back to what made him great in Houston, the running attack can pose health problems to the 29-year-old quarterback.

Watson said designed runs might help the Browns' offense but that it wasn't a priority for head coach Kevin Stefanski to have his three-time Pro Bowl quarterback take extra hits after recently recovering from shoulder surgery.

Watson hinted his head coach could get in deep trouble if a designed run caused an injury, which felt like an ominous warning to Stefanski.

Related: Deshaun Watson's Situation With Cleveland Browns Just Became More Complicated