Browns Fans Understood the Score, Then Deshaun Watson Got Too Honest
· Yahoo Sports
There's been a general understanding for months now of what the 2026 season was for the Cleveland Browns.
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The city's relationship with embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson is essentially a loveless marriage between a couple poised for divorce, but staying together just a little longer until their youngest kid is off at college.
Watson and the Browns were stuck with each other for the final year of his contract, thanks to a dead cap hit well over $120 million upon his release or trade, the latter of which was only possible if someone could turn on "force trades" like Franchise mode in Madden.
The goal for Cleveland was simple: survive one last season with Watson on the roster, perhaps even a handful of games with him as the starting QB, get that dead cap figure down to a more manageable number, and go their separate ways next offseason when Jimmy Haslam and company hope to have clarity on their next major QB decision.
As the 2026 season drew ever closer, most Browns fans had seemingly accepted that reality and found some legitimate reasons to be excited. That started with another highly touted Andrew Berry draft class. Over the course of two offseasons, Berry appears to have built up the future core of the team to course-correct the franchise.
Rookie wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been arguably the biggest stars of training camp. No. 9 overall pick Spencer Fano isn't far behind as he continues to look more and more comfortable as the Browns' new left tackle.
A new, fiery head coach arrived this offseason in the form of Todd Monken, who brings an encouraging vision for the offense and the team's culture.
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Acceptance is the final stage of grief, and for the most part, Browns fans had come to terms with the current state of their favorite football team and were willing to ride out the 2026 season with their sights set on brighter days in 2027.
Then came the boos during Saturday's 31-7 preseason drubbing by the Buffalo Bills in Watson's first game back at Huntington Bank Field since rupturing his Achilles in 2024. And then, Watson let it rip during his post-game presser.
"Man, I didn’t have any reaction. I think the biggest thing is, I think you guys know, and I think the whole world knows, it has nothing to do with the performance. It’s a little more personal than that," he said of the booing. "So, I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that, and just move on."
For a guy who spent months saying he wasn't bothered by fans' interactions, he clearly was on Saturday. And he wasn't done.
"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and that same fan base cheered when I got hurt. So, what does that have to do with anything about performance?," he added. "When a person gets hurt, especially in their own city, and they cheer."
On the surface, Watson isn't wrong. Cheering for an injured player is one of the most diabolical things any fan base can do. But this situation is much more complicated than that ugly moment from 2024.
It's no secret that Cleveland has never fully embraced Watson since his arrival in 2022, with more than two dozen sexual assault and misconduct accusations following him to Northeast Ohio. That entire scandal has made this relationship awkward from the beginning, and it's why many fans, who just want Watson gone, don't want him lecturing them on morality on the way out.
Meanwhile, despite Watson's relentless belief that his performance has nothing to do with it, if he had won more football games and if he had lived up to the $230 million fully-guaranteed contract he was handed upon his arrival to town, the off-the-field stuff would have been background noise to many of those same fans.
The sometimes sad reality of professional sports is that fan loyalty can be bought and sold with wins and Lombardi trophies. Cleveland's brass banked on that, and it's blown up royally in their face.
Now, those same decision-makers face another pivotal choice. With Monken poised to decide between Watson and second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders as his starting QB this season, all parties involved need to decide if they can legitimately afford to put the former under center, after he described the situation as playing "17 road games."
Cleveland was nearly through this disaster. The fans had found the silver lining in one more year of this arranged marriage. Instead, an old, giant, rotten wound was reopened on Saturday night.
The Browns have had a tendency to whimsically ignore the Watson negativity over their first four years together. But three weeks out from the regular season, this is a house fire that's too big to ignore. Everyone is watching closely to see how they'll put it out.