Jan 8, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
(Cleveland) — Deshaun Watson is not off to a hot start.
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson said that the Browns’ passing game has been “completely unimpressive” thus far in training camp.
“Anything that involves Deshaun Watson remaining in the pocket has been an adventure, and not since early in camp have we seen a string of consecutive completions in any 11-on-11 period.”
Watson’s camp struggles could be attributed to Amari Cooper practicing on a limited basis and Elijah Moore missing a time (ribs), but it’s still a concerning development.
For what’s it’s worth, Cooper is still confident in his 27-year-old signal-caller.
“Yeah, I like where our communication is,” Cooper said. “Obviously, I dropped a couple of balls today. I like making my quarterback job as easy as possible, and I look forward to growing on today and all the previous practice days, but by the time the season comes, that’s why I go so hard. That’s why I practice. That’s why I grind. I just want to make his job easy.”
The $230 million quarterback underwhelmed in an shortened 2022 season after returning from suspension, but with a full offseason to recover, the excuses are growing old.
With a little more than three weeks to go until the regular season, the Browns are running out of time to straighten things out.