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Daniel Oyefusi, ESPNSep 29, 2024, 09:37 PM ET
- Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.
LAS VEGAS — Toward the end of the first half of the Cleveland Browns‘ 16-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, cameras caught quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston chastising right tackle Dawand Jones after a blown block.
Jones allowed defensive end Tyree Wilson a free path to Watson on the third-down play, and he was hit as he launched a downfield pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper. The attempt fell incomplete to Cooper, who had broken free from cornerback Jack Jones.
Watson was seen yelling and clapping his hands at Jones immediately after the play, and Winston was held back by teammates on the sideline.
After the game, all involved downplayed the interaction but lamented the mistake in a 20-16 loss, the Browns’ second straight defeat.
“Just trying to be great, that’s it,” said Watson, who completed 24 of 32 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown and an interception. “We just all got to get on the same page, so we can execute and try to win and be explosive. That was it. We all knew [the play would have been a touchdown]. We’ve just got to execute and be on the same page to make those big plays.”
Jones, a fourth-round pick of the Browns in the 2023 draft, said he didn’t have a problem with the way Watson and Winston responded.
“I’m more mad at myself,” Jones said. “Just got to lock in a little better on the play count.
“That’s just a mental error and we can’t have that.”
Jones said Watson approached him afterward on the sideline to give him words of encouragement.
“He told me I was the best tackle in the league and I’ve got to show it every down,” Jones said.
The defeat dropped the Browns to 1-3 for the first time under coach Kevin Stefanski.
“No frustration,” Winston said. “It’s just a standard that we all hold ourselves up to, and we all got to be accountable to that. We got a standard. We got to be accountable to that standard. It’s all encouragement.
“That’s all I’m doing when I’m out there, is encouraging my guys to go higher, and be better.”
The Browns next game is on the road against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 6.
