The Cleveland Browns sat most of their starters in Saturday’s 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers to open their preseason slate.
With only two other opportunities available for the team to shake off the rust ahead of their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 8, analyst Tony Rizzo believes that the starters should be on the field getting some practice reps in against NFL competition.
One such player that Rizzo believes needs this is quarterback Deshaun Watson.
On “The Really Big Show” Tuesday morning, Rizzo said that the quarterback needed to take advantage of every opportunity he could to shake off the rust after his season-ending surgery cut short his 2023 season.
“He should have been scheduled to play in game one (against Green Bay) and maybe two (against Minnesota), too; he needs reps badly,” Rizzo said (via Twitter).
.@TheRealTRizzo thinks it's 100% the right decision for Deshaun Watson to play in the preseason for the Browns…
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/QuzN5xkwPq
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 13, 2024
Rizzo acknowledged that the team has to balance his health and playing time to ensure that Watson is available for the game against the Cowboys, but the analyst believes that the quarterback needs more time on the field to show he can handle the rigors of high-level football.
The radio host then dug into his argument further, suggesting that head coach Kevin Stefanski could not stop the game against Dallas “to show someone the proper technique” for a specific play.
Rizzo has long been an ardent supporter of Watson, but his take shows that he – along with the Browns fanbase – has high expectations for the quarterback entering his third season with the team.
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