Columnist wants Browns' Deshaun Watson to mimic Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes

For an article updated on Monday, columnist Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should study Kansas City Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes regarding how to stay healthy for the bulk of a season. 

"Watson has to stay on the field, and that means avoiding contact as much as possible," Pluto explained. "Patrick Mahomes is an athletic scrambler, but he knows how to stay healthy. The Kansas City star has missed only four games in the last six years. Time for Watson to look at tapes of Mahomes and do the same."

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted during the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this offseason that Watson "will always continue to be very mobile" even though the 28-year-old required what's been called an "uncommon shoulder" procedure to address an injury that ended his 2023 season after he played in just six games. 

Watson signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract as part of his agreement to join the Browns from the Houston Texans in March 2022. He then missed the first 11 contests of his debut Cleveland campaign while serving a suspension related to accusations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

Watson didn't play a meaningful down during the 2021 season while attempting to receive a desired trade out of Houston. Before that, he earned Pro Bowl nods each year from 2018 through 2020. 

It was reported during the winter that the Browns replaced offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey because Dorsey has a history of getting the most out of dual-threat quarterbacks. With that said, Pluto campaigned for Dorsey and Co. to take extra steps during spring and summer workouts to help Watson learn from previous mistakes. 

"The key fact is Watson’s coming off a shoulder injury that required extensive surgery," Pluto said. "...The Browns should put together a video of Watson putting himself (and his team) at risk by running the ball into defenders. There were several times last season when he could have slid before being tackled – or thrown the ball out of bounds to avoid sacks."

It's believed Cleveland could consider moving on from Watson next offseason if he isn't a significant reason for the 2024 Browns going further than the wild-card round of the playoffs. 

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Browns at +600 betting odds to win the AFC North title for the upcoming season. The Baltimore Ravens were at +115, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at +165.