Kevin Stefanski’s stubborn stance on Deshaun Watson is going to get him fired

At this point, it seems impossible for Kevin Stefanski to think that Deshaun Watson is the answer at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Or, at the very least, it seems impossible for him to think that Jameis Winston would be worse than Deshaun Watson has been this season. But after another dismal performance from Watson, the Browns head coach didn't mince words about who the Browns QB is.

"We're not changing quarterbacks. We need to play better, I need to coach better," Stefanski said postgame, after Watson threw for just 125 yards and Cleveland got stomped by Washington, 34-13, leaving the Browns at 1-4.

There is precisely one reason why Cleveland continues trotting out Deshaun Watson every Sunday only for him to flail around and lead the Browns to a loss, and that's the fact he's making $230 million to do it. As the head coach, Stefanski has to be the one who publicly defends Watson, but how much power does he really have in deciding whether Watson is the team's QB each week? It's hard to believe that Stefanski — who, despite everything, has mostly been a succesful coach for the Browns — thinks Watson gives the team its best chance of winning.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslem, meanwhile, defended the Watson contract in 2023 when asked about whether he regretted the deal.

Is Kevin Stefanski taking the fall for the front office's mistake?

If the Browns bench Deshaun Watson, then his $230 million contract and the pieces Cleveland traded to acquire him are officially wasted. But if the Browns continue to start him, even when he's actively hurting the team, isn't that worse than him doing nothing on the bench? It's like the book "Catch-22"... or something.

Of course, the players and coaches of the Browns would likely rather play a quarterback who gives the team a chance at winning games. But the Browns front office — especially owner Jimmy Haslem — would probably rather attempt to save face by making Stefanski play Watson each week, avoiding the headache of benching one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.

It's a valid question.

Stefanski isn't blameless in the Browns 1-4 start, but he might be blameless in Deshaun Watson still being the starting quarterback of the Browns, despite what he said in Sunday's press conference. If Stefanski is the one deciding to keep starting Watson week after week, then he might be coaching himself onto the hot seat. If he's not, and Browns ownership is in his ear telling him that Watson needs to keep starting, then things might be worse in Cleveland than they look on the field — and things look really bad on the field!