Deshaun Watson is a problem. The Cleveland Browns are hoping he can suddenly turn it around and become the player they thought he would be when they traded him in 2022, but that’s not happening.

This isn’t a bold prediction, it’s just the truth. Watson hasn’t performed really well since 2020 — which is almost half a decade ago.

If another player hadn’t played well for that long, it would have been over. But Watson keeps getting chances. Of course, the contract has something to do with it. The Browns don’t want to bench him when he’s in the third year of a five-year, $230 million contract, but they have to — unless they like losing.

Watson enters this game with 355 yards and a completion percentage of just 58.2. He didn’t do much to improve his overall stats, passing for 196 yards (and again failing to reach 200) while completing 56.8 percent of his throws. Sure, he had two touchdowns, but he also fumbled twice.

There will be those who will cling to the fact that they almost came back. They will also blame Cedric Tillman for dropping a pass on fourth down, but Watson is the reason they were in that situation. He holds the ball too long, misses wide open players, and is prone to turnovers. If anyone says they truly believed Watson would lead the team to victory — even if Tillman caught that pass — they are deceiving themselves.

So it’s time to bench him and give the keys to Jameis Winston. No, Winston isn’t elite, but the only way this team can win is by leaving Watson behind.

Cleveland is still operating under the false belief that Watson can be the player we saw in 2020. In fact, some fans still hold out that hope, and they point to Watson’s “elite game” against Baltimore in 2023 as proof. But even that game wasn’t a full 60-minute performance from the quarterback.

The Browns came back to win as Watson completed 20 of 34 for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Most of that came in the second half when he went 14 of 14 for 134 yards with the touchdown. That meant he was 6 of 20 for 79 yards in the first half.

We keep hearing how great he was in the last 30 minutes, but we ignore the first 30. Even against the Giants in Week 3, Watson was much better in the second half — after a frustrating first half.

Even if Cleveland wants Watson to be their starter in the future, benching him is the only answer. He has done nothing to change what we have seen over the last three seasons. If watching Joe Flacco excel while injured didn’t wake him up, maybe being benched while healthy will finally force him to work on his on-court issues.

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