Deshaun Watson has a lot to prove to the Cleveland Browns, but the early returns under the team’s new coaching staff have been encouraging.
Watson is back in the mix for the Browns’ starting quarterback job after missing all of last season, and he has made an impression on quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian.
“Deshaun’s done a great job. Everyone knows about his athletic ability. Everybody knows about his arm talent. What has struck me in the brief time that I’ve spent with him is his ability to process information, which is the most important element of being a quarterback,” Bajakian said during an appearance on Cleveland Browns Daily.
Shedeur Sanders remains firmly in the QB1 conversation, but Watson has the benefit of experience, which has shown up during the offseason team’s work.
“I think people take for granted that that is a strength of his because that’s hard to evaluate. It’s hard to see on film,” Bajakian said. “But he’s played a lot of football in different schemes, so he’s able to translate it quickly into what we’re doing.
“He’s done a great job in preparation and he does a great job at the line of scrimmage. So he does have all those positive traits to talk about. But he’s been a pro. That’s the other thing that I’ve really admired about working with him.”
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Watson still has to show he can stay healthy and play at a high level over a full season. That has been his issue since he arrived in Cleveland. The Browns traded three first-round picks to acquire him from the Houston Texans in 2022 and handed him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. The expectation was that he could end their long search for a franchise quarterback, despite his off-field issues. It has not worked out that way.
Watson has played just 19 games for the Browns. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes and has gone just 9-10 as Cleveland’s starter.
Watson is entering the final year of his contract and this year may represent his final shot at sticking around in the NFL. Watson will turn 31 in September. If he cannot stay on the field and produce, it is fair to wonder whether another team will be willing to view him as a starting — or even backup — option again.
“I can say that now. I’m fully healthy, ready to go,” Watson said. “This last year I was able to conquer that. And I’ll just say I haven’t really been 100% since that Tennessee game in ’23.”
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Watson has not run from the reality of his situation and knows the importance of winning the starting job to get his career back on track.
“I mean, it’s very important. I think each and every person that walks into the locker room should have that mindset that you want to start in this league,” Watson said during minicamp in his first press conference since 2024. “That’s why we show up each and every day, to be able to go out there and perform on Sundays or whenever that day is. So, yeah, so it’s definitely the main focus of why I work hard to be able to come back the way I do.”
Watson has not played a full season since arriving in Cleveland and has not looked like the same quarterback who led the league in passing yards with the Texans in 2020. He said he hasn’t yet thought about his future beyond this year.
“I don’t know. I’m trying to play a full season,” Watson said about his future beyond this coming season. “I’m just trying to be healthy so I can play all 17-plus games. So, I don’t know what’s going to happen at that time.”
The Browns are set to gather for training camp at the end of July. Rookies report on July 23, followed by the veterans on July 28.
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