The last time Deshaun Watson took the field in Cleveland, there were cheers when he was carted off the field with what ended up being a torn Achilles.
On Sunday — his first regular-season appearance at Huntington Bank Field since 2024 — the reaction was much more muted.
As noted on the Fox broadcast, there was no big reaction from the crowd as Watson and the Cleveland offense took the field for its first drive.
That changed to cheers as Watson made something happen and scrambled for a first down on second-and-7 from the Cleveland 11. Then Watson was able to avoid a sack and scramble again for a 12-yard gain on third-and-6.
But Cleveland’s drive stalled on the next set of downs, with Watson throwing a pair of incompletions and then a check-down for 7 yards to bring up fourth-and-3.
While the Browns didn’t score on their first drive, it’s at least something that the quarterback wasn’t booed at home after last week’s victory over Tampa Bay.