Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski once again answered a question at his Wednesday news conference about Deshaun Watson being benched, as the organization continues to defend their struggling quarterback who has settled more than 20 sex crime-related lawsuits over the past three years.
A reporter asked Stefanski “was there even a thought or a conversation had about possibly sitting Deshaun out this week?” And his answer was immediate and short.
Stefanski moved right on to the next question after that and the news conference continued. There was no discussion, no explanation, and no follow-up question.
And that’s likely because there isn’t much Stefanski can actually say to back up the decision to keep starting Watson. He can’t point to statistics, because they’re mostly bad. He can’t point to Watson’s leadership in the locker room, because there’s no evidence he’s been a leader in the locker room. All Stefanski can do is give the answer (whether or not it was actually his decision) and move on as quickly as possible.
But Stefanski also answered the “to bench or not to bench” question on Monday, just one day after their 34-13 loss to the Commanders in which Watson went 15 of 28 for 125 yards with one touchdown, and was sacked seven times. Even after looking at game film and discussing it with staff and GM Andrew Berry, he said unequivocally “we’re not changing quarterbacks.”
No matter what the stats say, that’s the line Stefanski continues to tow, even as Watson continues to give the team numerous reasons to bench him. No matter what the Browns do, facts remain facts. Since being traded to the Browns, Watson has played in 17 games and made 19 total touchdown passes, both of which are less than the number of lawsuits he’s settled (23) since coming to Cleveland.