Deshaun Watson spent the moments before the Cleveland Browns’ preseason finale trying to connect with the same fan base he publicly clashed with less than a week earlier.
ESPN Cleveland shared a video of Watson stopping along the railing at Huntington Bank Field to greet several young fans before Thursday’s matchup with the New England Patriots. Watson smiled, posed for pictures and took selfies with the group while dressed in street clothes.
“QB1 greeting fans before preseason game 3,” ESPN Cleveland captioned the video.
The seemingly harmless interaction quickly became another referendum on Watson’s relationship with Cleveland. Some commenters welcomed the effort.
“I love it. Keep going & getting better 4,” one fan wrote.
“This the only interaction and appreciation he needs to be showing all season long,” another added.
Others were far less receptive.
“So fake,” one commenter wrote.
“BOOOOOOOOOO,” another added.
“They promised all those kids free hotdogs, soda and a foam finger to do this,” a third joked.
Deshaun Watson Walked Back Comments About Browns Fans
The video arrived just days after Watson took aim at Browns fans following a rough outing against the Buffalo Bills. Watson was greeted by boos when he entered the game and finished 5-of-12 passing for 36 yards with an interception. He said afterward the hostile reception felt personal and had little to do with his performance.
“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.”
Watson also floated the possibility of treating every game like a road contest if he won the starting job.
“I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games,” Watson said. “So if it is my spot and he does make me the one, maybe it’s 17 away games then.”
Watson walked back those remarks two days later after head coach Todd Monken named him Cleveland’s Week 1 starter.
“My emotions got the best of me and my comments weren’t intended to go at any of the fans around the city because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me,” Watson said.
Watson acknowledged the Browns made a significant investment in acquiring him in 2022 and that the partnership has not gone as expected. He has started only 19 games for Cleveland while dealing with a suspension and multiple season-ending injuries. The Browns gave up three first-round picks and handed Watson a $230 million contract.
“Moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there,” Watson said. “My emotions got the best of me. I’m human. I take full responsibility of that.”
Browns Sitting Deshaun Watson in Preseason Finale
Watson did not play against the Patriots because Monken elected to sit Cleveland’s starters. Backup Shedeur Sanders also sat as the Browns used the finale to evaluate Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green.
“We’ve just dedicated so many of the reps to Shedeur (Sanders) and Deshaun (Watson), it’s really limited their opportunities, Dillon and Taylen (Green). And yet they’ve handled it great. Both prepare like they’re pros, like they should,” Monken said. “I’m just excited to see them play, because again, they don’t get nearly as many reps in practice so their opportunity to get out there and play will weigh heavily in where we look at the roster moving forward.”
While the starting quarterback decision has been made, the Browns still need to decide if Gabriel and Green will be on the 53-man roster. The Browns will open the regular season with road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Watson’s first regular-season appearance in front of Cleveland fans will come in the Week 3 home opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Turns Heads With Pregame Fan Interaction