Deshaun Watson is trying to win back the Cleveland Browns’ starting job, but the biggest concern around him is already back in focus. It starts with whether he can stay healthy enough to give the Browns a full season.
Watson is coming off a long injury stretch that included shoulder surgery in 2023 and an Achilles tear that forced him to the sideline all of last season. He has been back on the field this offseason, but Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com said on the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast that Watson appeared to show some signs of fatigue before the Browns broke for the summer.
“So, I think what Deshaun needs to do now is, I think he needs to get some proper rest over the break, because I thought his arm seemed to tail off a little. Maybe he got the slightest bit of fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder. It hasn’t had this much work, I don’t think, since before the surgery.”
Watson can win reps in shorts and look comfortable in the new system. But the real test is whether his body holds up when the workload climbs and the Browns start moving closer to live football.
Shedeur Sanders Building Momentum in Browns QB Battle
Another thing standing in the way of Watson’s desire to get back on the field is Shedeur Sanders, who appears to have real momentum in the Browns’ quarterback competition. Cabot said Sanders taking first-team reps to open mandatory minicamp stood out.
“Well, I thought it was very significant that when we showed up for the very first day of mandatory minicamp, the player taking most of the first team reps on that day, on the first day of mandatory minicamp, was Shedeur Sanders,” Cabot said. “I just thought that it was significant. I don’t think there’s any other way to slice it.”
Cabot previously reported that Watson had the inside track to the starting job. But Sanders has changed the shape of the competition with the way he closed the offseason program. Browns head coach Todd Monken said Sanders has made noticeable progress with his timing and decision-making.
“Well, I just think he’s doing a better job…I think he’s being more decisive,” Monken said on June 11. “Now, it’s easy to say we’re not in pads. It just feels like he’s making quicker decisions. The ball’s coming out of his hands, which he’s gonna have to do.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Running Out of Time
Watson is heading into the final year of his contract with the Browns and has little margin left. He has played just 19 games since arriving in Cleveland and has not come close to giving the franchise the return it expected when it made its franchise-altering trade for him. Now, he has one more chance to prove he can still be a viable starting quarterback.
Watson said during minicamp that getting the chance to start again is “very important” to him.
“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 on June 10. “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 also acknowledged that he is focused on playing a full season — not the future.
“I don’t know. I’m trying to play a full season,” Watson said. “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.”
If he cannot, it could be the end of his time in Cleveland and potentially the NFL.
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