The Cleveland Browns offense has been disappointing through three games of the 2024 NFL season.
Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson missed more than half of last season because of injury but will be healthy in 2024, raising hopes in Cleveland.
But the Browns have lost two of their first three games and there has been talk of Watson's declining running game, with the quarterback looking less of a dual threat after recording at least 413 rushing yards in each of his final three seasons with the Houston Texans.
Watson doesn't necessarily think using his legs is the key to turning around the team's slumping offense, and when asked about the possibility of more planned runs, he clarified that he's “not a running back.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson runs past New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau for a first down during the second half of a game at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 22, 2024 in Cleveland. (Jeff Lange/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I'm not going to go and ask them to make more planned runs. … If I don't have to run, I'm not going to run,” Watson said. “I'm not trying to take hits. … I'm not a running quarterback in a way. I can make things happen, but I'm not trying to run.”
“I'm not a running back. That's not my specialty. They signed me to throw the ball, make decisions and be a quarterback, not a runner.”
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Star running back Nick Chubb continues to recover from a serious injury he sustained in Week 2 of last season and began the 2024 season on the reserve/physically unable to play list. Chubb underwent two separate surgeries to repair his ACL and MCL.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hands the ball to running back Nick Chubb during the first quarter against the Bengals on Dec. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (Sam Green/The Enquirer/USA Today Network)
Without Chubb, the Browns are averaging 95.7 yards rushing per game, good for 24th in the NFL. Through three games, the offense is averaging 3.8 yards per play.
Watson ranks last in most major statistical categories.
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns leaves the field after a game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8, 2024 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Oglocki)
But the numbers aren't all doom and gloom. About 75 percent of Watson's rushing yards came on scrambles, according to data compiled by TruMedia. The three-time Pro Bowl selection rushed 14 times for 85 yards. Only nine NFL point guards have run the ball more than Watson this year.
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Watson acknowledged the potential benefits of running more, but said the risks outweigh the gains.
“I'm not saying the run game alone doesn't help the offense,” he said. “But [shoulder surgery]I don't think it's a high priority [coach Kevin Stefanski] To put me in that situation.”
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