Deshaun Watson’s mysterious absence raises concerns and frustration among Cleveland Browns fans.

Deshaun Watson was expected to turn the Cleveland Browns around when he signed that massive $250 million contract with the team. However, it’s been off to a rough start. Watson was suspended for the first 11 games last year, then returned to play and underperform. Now, the situation is getting quite interesting.

Watson suffered a shoulder injury back in Week 3 in the third quarter. Throughout the week, the medical staff monitored the injury and kept close tabs on his progress. Before the weekend, he was cleared to hit the field in Week 4. On game day, Watson informed the team that he would not be suited up due to the injury and that he personally wasn’t clearing himself despite the medical staff doing so. This isn’t exactly unusual, considering that the Browns had a Week 5 bye right afterward. To many, it felt like Watson was just being extra cautious and would return with an extra week of rest due to the bye.

Fast forward to this weekend, Watson has been once again ruled out in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers. Watson didn’t even practice at all, avoiding the questionable tag entirely heading into the matchup. This has resulted in many fans around the league claiming that Watson either doesn’t feel like playing or is simply avoiding the matchup with a dominant 49ers defense. Regardless, he’s now been cleared to play on Sunday for three weeks now and has personally ruled himself out in each one.

If I were a Browns fan at this point in time, I’d be awfully upset. They spent $250 million on him to join their team and have really gotten nothing but missed games and inconsistency on the football field. He’s completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 678 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions across three games. To make matters worse, he’s yet to record over 300 passing yards in a single game with Cleveland. He’s also been unable to lead the team to over 27 points since he joined the team. In fact, Watson has led Cleveland to 14 points or less in four of his nine starts with them.

In his absence, we will see the veteran quarterback, PJ Walker. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started the last game for Cleveland but had three interceptions without scoring a touchdown. Clearly, he wasn’t ready for the regular season just yet, while Walker should be more than prepared due to his experience. For example, Walker started seven games with the Carolina Panthers in the past three seasons. Walker will be making his first start with the Browns and should at least provide some type of offense for a team that didn’t have any a week ago. The problem is that the 49ers defense is the best group in the league, and it feels like it’s a large margin. Walker and Cleveland aren’t exactly in a great situation moving forward without Watson.