Despite veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson finally returning to start for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, the team suffered a terrible season-opening road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-10. Watson completed 16 of 22 passes and finished the game with 202 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, the offense couldn't generate the necessary scoring to keep up with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars.
The Browns' defense allowed 234 passing yards, with Lawrence throwing four touchdowns in a big win to begin the season. Many Browns fans weren't happy with Watson being named the team's starter ahead of the season opener, and likely still weren't after Sunday's performance. However, the head coach and entire team are at fault for that first loss, with Sports Illustrated senior NFL reporter Albert Breer sending a serious warning about the franchise.
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I'll just strip the roster down and put this on computer mode for the rest of the year, and we'll get to 2-15, and we'll wind up with the quarterback we want,'" Breer said on "The MMQB NFL Podcast." "I don't think Todd Monken is going to let that happen, but I personally think like the damage that you would do if a lot more weeks looked like that is going to be pretty serious," he said. This offseason, plenty of speculation and debate arose about the ongoing competition to determine the Browns' starting quarterback. Ultimately, Monken decided on the veteran Watson, who has a hefty contract with the Browns, over last season's starter for most of the season, Shedeur Sanders.
Watson previously showed he could lead a team to the playoffs, but that was with the Houston Texans much earlier in his career. The Browns are a far cry from those Texans teams, and Watson doesn't seem like the same star quarterback playing, especially after the injury setback that kept him sidelined all of last season. Ahead of the season, the Browns' win total was 5.5, and the over was favored, per Fox Sports.
After Sunday's game, this Browns team winning that many games is difficult to envision, as some believe Cleveland has its sights set on drafting a star quarterback for next season. Last month, ESPN's NFL mock draft projected the Browns to land the No. 1 pick and select Oregon's Dante Moore, with Texas's Arch Manning listed a spot below him. However, Breer's warning suggests the franchise needs to tread lightly when it comes to potentially tanking in pursuit of their next QB.
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