The Commanders-Browns contrast — especially at QB and play caller — could not be clearer

(Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Oct. 7, 2024.)

The Washington Commanders’ 34-13 blowout of the Cleveland Browns showcased two extremes on the karma continuum.

The Commanders’ marriage between offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Jayden Daniels appears carefully planned, almost fated. It’s been a perfect pairing to maximize production right away. Daniels leads the league in EPA per pass play for an offense averaging 31 points per game. The Washington franchise is reborn and filled with hope.

The Browns’ marriage between coach Kevin Stefanski, new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and quarterback Deshaun Watson feels forced, awkward and increasingly hopeless. Watson ranks 31st in EPA per pass play for an offense averaging 14.2 points per game. Cleveland feels stuck.

“Problem is, what do they do to spark the team?” an exec from another team said. “Their hands are tied.”

Watson’s contract makes it so, for now.

“We’re not changing quarterbacks,” Stefanski said.

Watson’s EPA per pass play ranks 618th out of 621 quarterbacks who started the first five games of a season since 2000. The table below shows where all qualifying Browns quarterbacks rank among the 621. Brian Hoyer never knew how much he’d be missed. (Not pictured, 2023 Browns alum Joe Flacco, who now has five touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 115.6 passer rating for Indianapolis).

For years, Stefanski fielded run-oriented offenses shielding quarterback exposure to difficult situations. From 2018 through 2023, his offenses in Minnesota and Cleveland passed 51 percent of the time on early downs in the first 28 minutes of games, before time and score differential exert more influence on play calling. The Browns’ rate is 63 percent this season, good for a No. 3 ranking on the Cook Index through five games.

“It’s like they want to be Kansas City and they are just forcing it,” a defensive coordinator from another team said.

Cleveland has been heading this way with Watson in the lineup. The pass rate in these situations was 46 percent with Watson in the lineup for six games in 2022 and 53 percent for the six games he started last season.

From afar, it feels as though the Browns are making an organizational decision to open up their offense with Watson to justify the $230 million they committed to him.

“You were trying to protect Joe Flacco by handing it off last year,” an offensive coach from another team said. “With this quarterback (Watson), you can do whatever you want, supposedly, so you try to, but it’s not in your DNA. It’s cool if it is working, but if it is not working, guys are standing around looking at each other saying, ‘Wait a minute, why are we doing this?'”

Running back Nick Chubb’s absence is part of the equation. Cleveland also added Dorsey, the former Bills coordinator who enjoyed success in Buffalo but also leaned toward the pass (Buffalo has become more run-oriented since his departure). The Browns, whose offensive line has been battered by injuries for the second consecutive year, also lost acclaimed line coach Bill Callahan to Tennessee. His voice could have been a strong one.

“I don’t know what they are doing,” another exec said. “No identity. Maybe it is Chubb not being there. They cannot help but have taken a step back without Callahan. It doesn’t seem like this is Stefanski’s offense.”

Chubb returned to practice this week as he recovers from a serious knee injury. We’ll see if anything changes once he’s back in the lineup.

(Photo of Deshaun Watson: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

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