Cleveland Browns searching for 'happy medium' on offense with Deshaun Watson

BEREA — The Browns always knew the final six games of the season were going to be like an appetizer.

It was going to be their first opportunity to really see Deshaun Watson working within the confines of their offense in game situations.

The main course is coming next season, when the Browns hope to have Watson as their starting quarterback from the season opener through the finale. As they head into the finale of this season on Sunday at Pittsburgh, though, the question remains how much does that fact ultimately change the dynamics of what that offense truly looks like with him at the controls.

Since coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt arrived in Cleveland in 2020, the running game has been a centralized piece of the offense. It may not have always seemed that way to some who want 20-plus carries every game for Nick Chubb, but the running game is something around which much has been built.

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How that changes, though, from the time the Browns finish their game with the Steelers until the time they kick off next season wherever that may be is something even those whose hands are directly involved with the offense can't answer with any certainty.

“That is a fair question," Van Pelt said when asked about that on Thursday. "I think the self-scout will tell us those answers. I know that is something that we have discussed openly: ‘Where are we now with Deshaun as our quarterback?’ We will finish this game out, we will peel that onion back and then make those decisions in the offseason.

"When you have a Pro Bowl running back, it is hard to say that you don’t want to start with that run game. It is finding that happy medium somewhere in the middle, and we will do that throughout the course of this offseason.”

Chubb has run the ball 90 times over the course of Watson's five starts thus far. That's an average of 18 carries a game.

The reality is that's almost the average Chubb had over the first 11 games as well, when he ran the ball 200 times. That comes out to 18.2 carries a game.

The Browns came out of last Sunday's win at Washington feeling like they gave a slight glimpse at the future with how they played in the second half. The statistics may not have told the whole story, but it showed an offense that was, for the first time with Watson at the controls, explosive in the passing game.

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Watson threw three touchdown passes. Although he only completed 6 of 10 passes over the final two quarters, he threw for 146 yards — 14.6 yards per attempt and 24.3 yards per completion.

Over the five-plus weeks, Watson has been adamant that stats aren't the only way he's judging his own growth in the offense. Nor is he using them as the only way the offense as a whole is progressing with him.

“I don’t think it is much more of me just trying to show what my talent is," Watson said Thursday. "That is self-explanatory. I think everyone knows that. It was just the matter of fact of when the opportunities come how you can make it more consistent. The second half was very, very motivating for the offense to be able to continue to have some momentum going into this week, but also just for us to be able to pull out that win.”

When the Browns acquired Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans last March 18, no doubt a 9-of-18, 169-yard, three-touchdown stat line wasn't what they were envisioning as the final product. They brought him to Cleveland with the expectation that he could provide the elite quarterback they needed to take their passing game — and their offense as a whole — to the level necessary to compete with not just the AFC's best, but the entire NFL's.

That obviously means the goal is to put much more on Watson's plate. That doesn't mean, however, the Browns necessarily envision a world where suddenly one of the best running games in the league is ignored.

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The devil in doing that will be in the details. What the best version of that looks like is something that can keep defense honest in a way that hasn't necessarily existed in Stefanski's first three seasons in Cleveland.

“I think you're going to see different schemes, but I think the identity offense is still there," All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio said. "I don't know if last week's a great example, but we ran the ball very efficiently even though we were trying to pass the ball at certain times. We knew we can take advantage of some deep plays in the passing game.

"And so I think when we get comfortable with the offense, the goal is to be able to do kind of whichever way we want. If we need to spread it out and throw the ball, but that can open up the run game for us ‘cause I think at times we got a little bit bogged down when we were like, hey, we're going to go heavy, we're going to go three tight ends on the field, we're going to run the ball. And the defense is like, all right, we'll put nine or 10 guys in the box as well."

That's what the Browns were able to do against the Commanders. The passing game obviously came alive with explosive plays thanks to big plays to not just receiver Amari Cooper — three catches, 105 yards, two touchdowns, all in the second half — but also a 21-yard completion to tight end David Njoku that Van Pelt said he believed was Watson's best throw in a game yet.

However, Chubb also ran the ball nine times for 45 yards. Mix in seven more runs by Watson — some by design, some off-script — for 31 yards, and it's more of a glimpse at the kind of balance the Browns may look for in a full season running a scheme designed around the quarterback.

What it shows is that there's no straight either/or path to what could be a dynamic offensive scheme if the pieces continue to come together.

“We have a great running game, but it's important to have balance," Cooper said. "I've noticed since being in league, and especially being on this team, if we're running the ball good, we're going to keep running it. If we're passing the ball good, we keep passing. It's all about how it's going throughout the course of the game. You don't really just plan on saying, ‘Hey, we're going to be a passing team this year or a running team this year.’ If we’re running the ball and it's not working then obviously you have to pass. So just depends.”

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns want to find right mix on offense with Deshaun Watson