Deshaun Watson was adamant last week that, despite missing all of practice, he would play against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns apparently took him at his word, which caught them off guard when Watson said he couldn’t play after throwing two passes in pregame warmup.
Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started for the Browns against the Ravens and looked every part the first-year player. He completed 19 of his 36 pass attempts for 121 yards and three interceptions. He also surrendered four sacks to the vaunted Ravens defense.
The Browns never seemed to get off the bus as they lost 28-3 entering this week’s bye.
According to Jason Loyd of The Athletic, speaking during an appearance on the Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima, Browns players were frustrated with Watson’s refusal to play after the team apparently didn’t have a backup plan after he told them all week that he would play through what the Browns described as a shoulder contusion.
“Had Watson simply said, ‘This really hurts. I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure,’ I believe the week of preparation and the fallout from Watson not playing would have been much, much different.”
Lloyd cautioned, however, that just because player were upset doesn’t mean the Browns’ season is over.
“Just because players were upset after the game doesn’t mean the season is over or they’ve turned on their quarterback, it means the messaging could have been better and should be in the future,” Lloyd said.
