The Cleveland Browns are going a different direction on offense this season, a change that team officials hope will optimize their highly-paid but underperforming quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Cleveland hired Ken Dorsey as its new offensive coordinator in February to help revitalize Watson’s career. The first, and most important, step Dorsey has noted on Watson’s path back to elite status is simply playing football in game and/or game-like scenarios.

“He needs reps, needs live action,” Dorsey told Dan Graziano of ESPN during the latter’s visit to Browns training camp on July 26 and 27.

Watson went to three Pro Bowls between 2018-20 as the QB of the Houston Texans before that franchise sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021 campaign after Watson requested a trade. A suspension from the NFL due to more than two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct kept the quarterback off the field for the first 11 contests of the 2022 season. Watson then missed all but six games last year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Cleveland’s second step to aid Watson in his bounce-back effort is to modify the offense to throw more on first-down and keep the QB out of third-and-long situations as frequently as possible, according to GM Andrew Berry.

“It’s really first-down efficiency and staying out of third-down situations,” Berry told Graziano. “Because the hardest thing for an offense to do — and specifically for a quarterback to do — is operate in third-and-medium-to-long when you’re in obvious passing situations; you have to just drop back and win. Now, that’s why the guys make money, because they have to be able to convert some of those. But even the best offenses, they convert maybe just right around half.”

Browns Hope to Make Game Easier for Deshaun Watson by Changing Styles

Berry’s answer is somewhat ironic considering he and the rest of the Browns front office traded the Texans three first-round picks, and then some, for Watson before giving the quarterback a five-year deal worth $230 million in fully-guaranteed money — all before Watson ever converted one third-and-long pass in Cleveland.

After two years and just 12 regular season starts, Watson’s contract looks to be not just one of the worst in franchise history, but among the worst in the history of the entire league.

But, all of that considered, Berry is still able to point to numbers that suggest Cleveland can do better on Watson’s behalf by altering how it approaches its offensive attack. Berry pointed out to Graziano that the Browns threw the ball on just 41% of first-downs in games that Watson started in 2023, while that number jumped to 60% when examining the games Joe Flacco started in Cleveland.

Interestingly enough, Graziano said that head coach Kevin Stefanski “downplayed” Berry’s analysis, referencing two contests — one against the Indianapolis Colts in October, during which Watson threw just five passes before exiting the game due to his aforementioned shoulder injury, and another against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, during which heavy rain impacted the game plan.

The Browns went on to win both of those contests.

Browns Can Go to Jameis Winston Mid-Season if Deshaun Watson Struggles

Regardless of scheme or mitigating factors, the 2024 season feels like something of a make-or-break one for Watson as the team’s designated starter. The money he commanded has kept Watson at the top of the depth chart when healthy, but his play hasn’t warranted the level of job security he has experienced.

Watson is 8-4 as a starter in Cleveland, though the team’s No. 1 ranked defense in 2023 has a good amount to do with that. Watson has completed just 59.8% of his passes since joining the Browns, throwing for 2,217 yards (6.5 yards per attempt), 14 TDs and 9 INTs, per Pro Football Reference.

The Browns have also added more legitimate talent to the position group behind Watson this offseason, which is another indicator they are prepared to at least try someone different if their pricey starter’s struggles continue into a third consecutive campaign.

Former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston headlined Cleveland’s offseason moves at QB. He has a big arm as well as more than 22,000 passing yards and 141 passing TDs on his resumé. Winston is also the type of quarterback who can theoretically excel opposite a strong defense, like that of the Browns, that is capable of wiping away some of the turnovers born of his inherent willingness to take downfield risks.

Cleveland also added Tyler Huntley, a former Pro Bowler with the Baltimore Ravens, to its roster on a one-year deal.