Browns' Deshaun Watson shuts down idea that could bolster offense

Some analysts have suggested that embracing more designed run plays could help Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson produce better numbers after he largely failed to impress over the club's first three games of the season.

Watson somewhat defiantly shut that idea down while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.

"I'm not going in there to ask them for more designed runs. ...If I don't have to run, I'm not going to run," Watson explained, as shared by Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "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. I'm not a running back. It's not my specialty. They signed me to throw the ball, make decisions and be a quarterback, not a runner."

Watson is right in that the Browns signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract because they hoped he'd be an elite quarterback. Cleveland later replaced offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey this past offseason because it was thought Dorsey could "construct an offense that comforts Watson and maximizes his skill set."

The results thus far have been underwhelming for the 1-2 Browns. According to Pro Football Reference, Watson ranks 30th in the NFL with a 22.5 adjusted QBR, 27th with an average of 183.7 passing yards per ga me and last in the league with a 28.0% passing success rate for the season. Per StatMuse, Watson is tied for 10th among quarterbacks with 85 rushing yards on the campaign.

It's understandable Watson wants to avoid punishing blows as a runner considering he's coming off a shoulder injury that limited him to just six starts last season. He noted on Wednesday that he felt adding designed runs to the offense is not a "high priority for" head coach Kevin Stefanski because of fears related to the signal-caller potentially going down with a new physical setback.

For a piece published Thursday, ESPN's Seth Walder wrote that backup Jameis Winston "should be starting for the Browns over Deshaun Watson right now, and if Cleveland can't see that, it is letting sunk cost fallacy get in the way of rational thinking." There's currently no indication Stefanski agrees with such takes heading into this coming Sunday's game at a 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders side that surrendered 319 passing yards and three touchdowns in the air while facing Carolina Panthers veteran Andy Dalton in Week 3.

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Raiders as two-point favorites over the Browns.