Coming off of a string of poor performances to start the 2024 season, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said Wednesday he is not interested in more designed runs to jumpstart his team's struggling offense, saying that running the ball isn't his specialty. Watson has become the face of the Browns' ineptitude on offense to start the year, which has compounded the team's other issues, including the continued absence of running back Nick Chubb and an offensive line in tatters after a series of injuries have left them short-handed.
"I'm not going in there to ask them for more designed runs," Watson said. "I'm not trying it. If I don't have to run, I'm not going to run. So, I'm not trying to take any hits. ... I'm not a running quarterback, in a sense. I can make things happen, but I'm not trying to run.
"I'm not a running back. It's not my specialty. They signed me to throw the ball, make decisions, and be a quarterback, not a runner."
Through three games, the Browns have averaged only 3.8 yards per play on offense, which stands as the second-worst mark in the league and has been in large part because of an anemic passing offense led by Watson, who is returning from shoulder surgery that ended his 2023 season prematurely. Although Watson was prolific as a scrambler while quarterbacking the Houston Texans, he has dropped back to pass more than any other quarterback in the NFL, with 141 dropbacks opening him up to negative plays. In Week 3, for instance, Watson was sacked eight times in total in a 21-15 loss to the New York GIants.
Watson conceded that, theoretically, making opposing defenses account for him running the ball could help give the Browns' offense a spark, but noted that it would put head coach Kevin Stefanski in a difficult position if he were to get reinjured by taking off and running.
"I won't say that it won't help out the offense as far as just the run game. But I mean, coming back from an injury I don't think that is high priority for Kevin to put me in that situation," Watson said. "Because (if I) go out there in a designed run and something happens, then it's like you're mad at Kevin. So I feel like it's a lose-lose situation."