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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson received a scathing message from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith after Watson's recent comments about expectations as the team's starter.
On Thursday, Smith spoke directly to the camera on ESPN's "First Take," addressing the Browns' quarterback and his lackluster performances since joining the team. In particular, Watson struggled to get much going in his first start of the season, which ended in a Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"Deshaun Watson, you have been awful, and if you were arrested for being awful. … I wouldn’t knock it," Smith said. "I said it months ago. I'm gonna say it again. It has been very, very bad. But I'm gonna tell you how you just made it worse. Awful is one thing. Being stupid is another!"
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Smith said he wouldn't disrespect Watson by calling him stupid; instead, he called Watson's actions "stupid" because he was "complaining about people talking about [him] playing football."
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"Haven't you done other things that people could be talking about? They're not bringing it up. None of it. I'm not gonna bring it up now. None of it! You're actually being talked about as it pertains to football," Smith said.
He told Watson he should "embrace every football conversation" and told him to "think" about what else fans and reporters could be talking about. Smith suggested the media in Cleveland is trying to support him by not bringing him up and it's "just stupid" for him to not embrace it.
In 2022, the Houston Texans traded their three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to the Browns for multiple future draft picks. That trade occurred amid Watson's off-field legal issues, for which he served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after an NFL investigation.
He started six games for Cleveland in 2022, going 3-3 in those starts. He started six games again in 2023, going 5-1. However, in the 2024 season, he had a 1-6 record in seven starts, and the team ranked last in the NFL in passing yards.
Watson didn't play at all last season after suffering a torn Achilles in the 2024 season and then suffering another injury setback after surgery. The team initially opted for rookie Dillon Gabriel as last season's starter, and then used backup rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders for most of the rest of the season.
Sanders and Watson competed this offseason to see which of the two quarterbacks the new head coach, Todd Monken, would choose as the starter. Monken ultimately decided on the veteran Watson ahead of Week 1.
Unfortunately, the Browns lost 34-10 to the Jaguars in Watson's first game as a starter in over a season. Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, but also threw one interception in an underwhelming return to the field.
After the loss, Watson responded to a reporter's question about needing a good performance before returning to play in Cleveland this month. He said he thinks that the media expects him to throw for "400 yards and five touchdowns" every week when he plays, but he's more focused on "trying to get a win and keep moving forward from there."
He'll get another chance to prove his capabilities in Week 2. The Browns visit Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. ET.
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