Why did Deshaun Watson walk off on 4th down play? Fans figured it out.

It was the play that left Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski in disbelief: with the Browns facing a fourth-and-goal from the 21, Deshaun Watson started walking off the field to take a delay of game penalty (and not a timeout).

Now, why did that happen? Turns out there was a perfectly good explanation that fans figured out: Watson realized there were too many players in the huddle, which meant the team was going to take a penalty anyway.

It’s a more logical explanation for what happened, but it’s an awful, sloppy moment in a season full of them for this disaster of a Browns team.

So, this is what happened. Watson realized too many players on the field in the huddle. You will see Cooper counting them as well. Watson knew they were not burning a second timeout. He's frustrated. Kevin is too. Walks over to his assistant coaches to say something. Gross stuff… pic.twitter.com/pOSKJb6Mw4

— Jake Burns (@jake_burns18) October 6, 2024

Not defending Watson’s play, but Browns had 12 men in on 4th down. pic.twitter.com/Yk69NOuEI4

— Monte the Color Man (@Monte_Colorman) October 6, 2024

We had 12 men in the huddle. Watson isn’t good but he isn’t even the biggest issue: Bad coaching, bad play calling, bad execution by the entire offense, and the team has given up. it’s just time to wait until inevitably, the browns tear it down and try again https://t.co/sP1cUsjXKs

— Tanner (@ManbeckTr) October 6, 2024