It's safe to say the Browns trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson back in 2022 hasn't gone to plan.
His first year under center in Cleveland was upended by the 11-game suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league's personal-conduct policy. That left Watson appearing in just six games, completing just 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns.
Then came an injury riddled season this past fall that saw multiple shoulder injuries keep Watson out of commission for all but six games yet again. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards and seven additional touchdowns in 2023.
The inconsistencies have been very apparent with the Browns star signal caller. So much so that Watson outpaced his quarterback contemporaries in a not-so-flattering statistical category.
According to football data analyst Warren Sharp, Watson led all quarterbacks in 2023 for incompletions due to inaccurate passes. As Sharp's list revealed, more than 43% of the 28-year-old's incompletions were considered inaccurate throws, nearly 4% more than the next quarterback on the list Tyrod Taylor (40.9%)
Noticeably, several other current and former AFC North QBs found themselves on the list. Reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson came in fifth overall, with 36.7% of his incompetions being considered inaccurate. Meanwhile, ex-Steelers QB Kenny Pickett came in at No. 10 at a clip of 35%.
The metric is surely not one Watson wants to be No. 1 in, however, his sporadic play at times last year was on full display as he was often dirting passes to his receivers.
Now coming off of shoulder surgery, Cleveland's star signal caller is hoping to shake the struggles of his last two seasons and shake off the narrative that he's no longer a top 10 quarterback in this league. Considering it's been nearly four years since Watson has played at that level, it may be easier said than done.
