Deshaun Watson has dumped a bucket of cold water on the Browns to begin the 2024 NFL season

After suffering all of the injuries that they did in 2023, the Cleveland Browns still managed to win 11 games and make the NFL Playoffs. Getting healthy going into 2024 was the plan and the expectations were expected to be high for the Browns this season.

There was always the shadow over the team entering the season and the shadow is brought on by the guy who plays quarterback. In the 12 games he played between 2022 and 2023, Deshaun Watson did not look like a franchise quarterback, and that rationalized a legitimate worry for the team going into 2024.

The Browns roster is loaded. Period. If you do not look at the quarterback position, the Browns have one of the top-six or seven rosters in the NFL when healthy at worst. With said roster, there should be a lot of chatter and hype around the team but there just is not.

A Week 1 dud of a performance from the Browns against the Cowboys took the wind out of things due to the way they lost . The 33-17 loss felt like a lot more than two possessions. Watson and the entire offense played poorly and were booed off the field.

It is not quite to hit the full-on panic button yet, but there is no hiding the fact that Watson has cast a dark shadow over the team to the fanbase. A large part of the fanbase is ready to move on from Watson following the recent sexual assault lawsuit that popped up following the opening game loss . At this time not only is Cleveland’s quarterback not performing on the field, but he is a big distraction for the team as well.

The body language in Week 1 was poor from Watson and many of his teammates. Cleveland went through an entire offseason ramping up Watson to get ready for Week 1 and decided to not play him in the preseason. The result was a mediocre showing where Watson went 24-of-45 passing for just 169 yards and a 1-2 touchdown to interception ratio.

The tide has to turn for the Browns soon

Year No. 3 is supposed to be the one where Watson gets back close to the player he was in 2020 for the Houston Texans, the reason the Browns made a franchise-altering trade for him. The reason that the Browns were okay with knowing a heavy suspension was likely coming Watson’s way in the 2022 season. Everything has been hypothetical since then and the waiting game you could say for Watson to be the guy that Cleveland has continued.

No. 4 could go out in Week 2 and play well against the Jacksonville Jaguars and help the Browns get a win on the road. It is also possible that he will deliver another bad performance and the Browns fall to 0-2. If that happens, the booing and unsteadiness is only going to grow from the fanbase.

2024 is supposed to be the year that the franchise takes a step forward and makes a run in the playoffs. The current feeling around the team from the fanbase feels like that is being questioned whether it will happen or not.

Cleveland signed a quality backup for Watson once again this season and that at least shows you that they believe they have to have a quality plan behind him too. The last two years have shown that he can not be depended on consistently, still, the Browns have to try to get the most out of him as I’ve mentioned.

The sky isn’t falling in Cleveland. Again. But the temperature is a bit hot around the most important position in football for the team and it is justified. Cleveland did not believe they gave up three first-round picks and $230 million for a below-average quarterback that would continue to bring in legal issues. That was not the plan.

If the team wants the outside noise to be tempered, then the first two steps are Watson playing well against the Jaguars and picking up a win. At some point this season if the Week 1 play continues, Watson’s teammates will eventually give up on him, no matter what they say to the media during the week. If that were to happen, the Browns would be forced to sit their most expensive investment ever on the bench and hand the keys to Winston for the season.

The panic alarm isn’t sounding all the way yet, but Cleveland really needs to straighten things up quickly out of the gates or the 2024 season could slip away quicker than they believe.

Related: Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s lawyer breaks silence on recent sexual assault lawsuit