Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hit a milestone of sorts on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field.
When Watson entered the huddle in the third quarter, it was the first time he had been on his home field in a game since October 20, 2024, against the Cincinnati Bengals. That was the afternoon when Watson tore his Achilles’ tendon and was lost for the season.
Normally, in a situation like that, a veteran receives the appreciation of his home fans for working his way
back from an injury to return to the field.
But nothing has been normal between Watson and the fans since he arrived in Cleveland in 2022.
So Watson was greeted by boos when he jogged onto the field.
There were more boos after his first offensive series, a three-and-out in which the offense gained minus 1 yard.
And more boos after the second offensive series, another three-and-out in which the offense gained zero yards.
And even more boos on the next series after Watson threw an interception.
On a day when the Browns managed all of seven points and converted just three of 11 chances on third down against Buffalo’s second-, third-, and fourth-string defensive players, the ire of the fans was directed squarely at Watson, who finished five-of-12 passing for 36 yards and an interception.
After the game, Watson was asked about the response from the fans, which he said is more personal than performance-based:
“I think the whole world knows, it has nothing to do with the performance. It is a little bit personal. I think it is a disrespectful thing, so I’m going to keep how I feel between me and my family.
“The last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and this fan base cheered when I got hurt. What does that have to do with anything about my performance? When a person gets hurt in their own stadium, and they cheer? I don’t regret anything … I was put in these situations for a reason. It is what it is. Sometimes the tables turn.”
Watson has a point that a portion of the fan base will boo him no matter what he does, given the off-field issues that followed him to Cleveland from Houston. And he is right about the specific incident relating to being booed after his injury, which is always a no-class look from the fan base.
But pretending his performance has no bearing on how fans view him is a stretch.
Watson is entering his fifth season with the Browns, and because of the combination of multiple season-ending injuries and an NFL-mandated suspension, he has only played in 19 games and has not exactly lit up the field.
Sometime in the next few days, head coach Todd Monken is going to have to bite the bullet and name a starting quarterback for the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Watson might very well be the choice, not so much because he has earned it, but because there is not an NFL team that would be comfortable opening the season with a fifth-round draft pick whose best asset is not being Deshaun Watson as its starting quarterback.
If Monken does name Watson the starter and he is still in place in Week 3 when the Browns play their first home game of the season, there is no doubt that Watson will hear a level of booing that will be hard to shrug off.
And whether or not he wants to admit it, the boos will be just as much about his on-field performance as his off-the-field issues.
