Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said this week that he doesn’t care what kind of reception he gets from the fans in Cleveland. The reception he got in today’s preseason game was decidedly negative.
The fans in Cleveland loudly booed as Watson took the field and continued booing throughout the third quarter as Watson struggled. Although Huntington Bank Field is mostly empty, the fans who are there are making it known that they don’t like Watson quarterbacking their team.
Watson played poorly while the fans booed. The Browns’ offense went three-and-out on Watson’s first two drives, then Watson threw an interception on his third drive and threw a fourth-down incompletion to end his fourth drive.
Trading for Watson was a disaster for the Browns, who gave up three first-round picks, a second-round pick, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick to get Watson, then gave him a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. For that, Watson has played a total of 19 games in four seasons, and has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in those 19 games. And the Browns made the move for Watson despite knowing he had been accused of sexually assaulting some two dozen massage therapists, accusations that resulted in Watson being suspended for the first 11 games of his time in Cleveland.
Given all that, Watson should expect to be booed in Cleveland if he’s the starter in Week Three, when the Browns play their first home game of the regular season. Whether Watson cares or not.