Browns guard Joel Bitonio accuses Eagles players of taking 'cheap shots' at Deshaun Watson
Tuesday's joint practice between the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles got a little too chippy for Joel Bitonio's liking. Specifically, the Browns guard didn't like how some Eagles defenders were playing against quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“I mean it’s just in our practice, you protect the quarterback,” Bitonio said Tuesday. “You don’t want to come close to the quarterback, you don’t want to take cheap shots, things like that where there might’ve been a couple of questionable plays both ways today.”
Bitonio added that Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat knocked the ball out of Watson's hand during a play. The two sides had also been more physical and reportedly had to be separated throughout the practices.
“We’re going into this week trying to get better in practice and work and sometimes there are some cheap shots and things like that where you want to defend yourself,” Bitonio said. “I don’t know the exact situation, but there were a couple shots today where we’re trying to make sure we’re getting the best out of practice and not fighting. But it was just a little heated second day. It always gets a little bit more fired up.”
The Browns and Eagles face each other Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Watson himself had a few bad moments against the Eagles defense this week after Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship reportedly intercepted Watson three times in two days.
Deshaun Watson Training Camp Stats vs Eagles defense:
The Eagles defense definitely got the better of Watson during the joint practices
Watson had a few really nice throws at times, beating good coverage with better throws. His arm definitely has the ability to make special… pic.twitter.com/sv5RjUM3eJ— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 16, 2023
The Browns certainly need Watson to rebound after a poor six-game showing in 2022 when he returned from his 11-game suspension for sexual assault allegations. Watson said earlier in training camp he felt "really good, comfortable" around the team now after his shorter campaign this past season. But he's still a $230 million man who completed less than 60% of his passes with only seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
That won't cut it against the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
