“You gotta roll your eyes.” When NFL legends unload like that, you know stuff’s about to get brutal. And when it’s aimed at a struggling Deshaun Watson? Yeah, the Browns QB-sized headache might just want to look away. 

Mark Schlereth pulled no punches, giving Watson the kind of takedown he probably deserves. The former Broncos guard painted a vivid picture of what it’s like to be in that huddle with Watson leading the charge—or might we say, dragging it down. “You, as an offensive player, he walks in the huddle, you gotta roll your eyes, like, ‘This guy.’ Like, every time he comes to the huddle, you have no idea what it’s like when you walk in the huddle and you know you ain’t got no choice,” Schlereth said, basically calling out QB Watson as a confidence-killer for his teammates.

He continued his verbal onslaught by emphasizing the lack of hope, with the Clemson Tigers product calling the shots. “Based upon that, that dude is playing quarterback. There’s no chance we’re gonna win, and then you walk into the huddle.” Ouch! The Hall of Famer’s words paint Watson as a liability. It’s like Schlereth just slapped a DND sign on the Browns’ postseason hopes.

As the three-time Super Bowl champ’s words settled, the light shifted to Watson himself, who was busy deflecting blame and pointing fingers. During a post-game media session with TJ Sports, the QB was quick to mention how the O-Line’s shuffle left him in a tight spot, throwing shade at the unit for their lack of cohesion and performance under pressure. He highlighted the fact that “you have three unfamiliar offensive linemen in at the end. It’s loud; it’s on the road. How is that to operate?” That’s not exactly rallying the troops, is it?

The 29-year-old continued to unravel his frustrations with lines like, “I take responsibility for that because they showed a little bit differently,” only to quickly redirect the blame, pointing at the miscommunication with his WRs and the offensive scheme itself. The three-time Pro Bowl QB’s blame game didn’t let up as he lamented, “the biggest thing is just, you know, we had opportunities, we just, again, shot ourselves in the foot and went backward instead of going forward.” 

While Deshaun Watson’s post-game comments might sound like a QB trying to stay constructive, the subtext’s oh-so-loud and clear: he’s putting a lot of his team’s failures on the shoulders of everyone but himself. So, why’s Cleveland putting up with all of this?

Why aren’t the Browns benching Deshaun Watson? 

Well, we’ve got some ugly (and expensive) reasons why Cleveland’s sticking with him. 

You see, the Browns are sitting at 1-5 (having lost to Philly; 20-16). The team didn’t score a single offensive TD, and it took them like 55 minutes to even get around the red zone. What’s more, they have a 15.8 PPG (3rd-worst) and 240.2 YPG (literally the worst in the NFL!) Ugly. 

Cleveland shelled out three first-round picks and handed the QB a $230M fully guaranteed contract. Expensive. Yet, Watson’s results so far have been okayish. To make matters worse, we have the Joe Flacco problem. Last season, Flacco came off his couch and led the Browns to a playoff berth—1,616 yards, 13 TDs, and eight interceptions in five games. 

That said, with such a heavy investment in him (and poor stats), Cleveland might feel locked in, but one thing’s for sure: Deshaun Watson’s leash’s getting shorter by the week.