Browns' Deshaun Watson Was NFL's Worst QB In This Area In 2023

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is entering what many consider to be a make-or-break season after a couple of rough years to begin his Browns tenure.

Since coming over in a blockbuster trade in March 2022, Watson has played a grand total of 12 games in Cleveland, accumulating 14 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions during that time.

That's not exactly what the Browns were hoping for when they handed him a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract extension upon acquiring him.

Nevertheless, there is still plenty of time for Watson to right the ship, and if he is going to do so, he must improve drastically in one area: throwing accuracy.

The 28-year-old has completed just 59.8 percent of his passes in Cleveland, and it tends to get worse as Watson gets near the red zone.

Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis has posted a rather brutal stat demonstrating just how poorly Watson has thrown the football once the Browns are within striking distance of a score.

Yikes.

You never want to be worse than Mac Jones in anything, and in Watson's case, he is actually significantly inferior to Jones in this area.

Now, in Watson's defense, he was dealing with a bum shoulder last season, which ultimately resulted in surgery. Perhaps the Clemson product will be able to get himself back on track in 2024 now that he is fully healed.

The Browns are hoping the third time is the charm for Watson in what will be his third campaign in Cleveland. The Browns did manage to win 11 games in spite of Watson playing in just six of them last season, but once Cleveland got to the playoffs, it was clear that its lack of elite quarterback play was a major issue.

We'll see if Watson can rediscover his form that allowed him to make three straight Pro Bowls with the Houston Texans...or at least play a heck of a lot better than he did in 2022 and 2023.