Sep 18, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) leaves the field after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-22 at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports Sep 18, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) leaves the field after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-22 at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy DJ Byrnes on

The Cleveland Browns thought they solved their longtime search for a franchise quarterback when they traded three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans last year for Deshaun Watson.

Watson didn’t set the world on fire his first year in Cleveland, but that was somewhat expected after he missed almost two years of live football and also served an 11-game suspension for gross sexual misconduct to start the season.

Watson spent the offseason saying that this year would be different. But so far, it hasn’t. The team won in spite of his performance in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Browns were unable to escape another pedestrian performance from Watson in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

Watson completed 22 of 40 pass attempts (55 percent) for 235 yards on Monday night. He threw for one interception and one touchdown. He also fumbled twice while only gaining 22 yards on the ground. He finished the game with a 70.3 quarterback rating.

The numbers simply aren’t becoming of a quarterback who signed a $230 million guaranteed contract that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time. And while some Browns fans initially supported Watson despite the sexual misconduct allegations he settled out of court, his performance is starting to wear thin with the long-ailing fanbase.

Browns fans were quick to react to Watson’s latest performance on the field:

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