While his performance against the Bills did not help his cause in his position battle against Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson likely hurt it even more during his postgame press conference while addressing being booed by Browns fans. Watson, after going 5 of 12 for 36 yards and an interception during Cleveland's 31-7 loss to the Bills, decided to go on the offensive when asked about the boos. "I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said.
"It's a little bit more personal than that. So, I think it's a disrespectful thing." To make his point, Watson noted that Saturday wasn't the first time that he felt the ire of Browns fans. He added that he gets treated better by opposing fans.
"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. That same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt," he said. "What does that have to do with anything about performance?
When a person gets hurt, especially in your home stadium, and they cheer." Watson said that his experiences with Browns fans are usually only negative on either social media or during home games. He was hoping that the situation regarding the fans' treatment of him would be better given his involvement in the city and after he worked to get himself back in position to compete to be the Browns' starting quarterback. "I thought being away for two years and working myself back from two Achilles injuries and putting the time in and being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them, being honest, being the type of person that I know I am and the character would help," he said.
So that's why I say it's personal. People have their own opinions. There's only so much you can do to change that.
So at the end of the day, I just have to continue to just work on it and strive to be better mentally moving forward." Saturday was a continuation of the downward spiral that has been Watson's career, especially since he arrived in Cleveland in 2022. A three-time Pro Bowler with the Texans, injuries and inconsistent play have plagued Watson throughout his time with the Browns. He is 9-10 as the Browns' starting quarterback with just 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a mediocre 61.2% completion percentage.
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