Getty Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
Deshaun Watson has heard the noise after his disappointing first season with the Cleveland Browns but the former passing leader’s confidence hasn’t taken a hit.
Watson played the final six games for the Browns last season after serving an 11-game suspension. The team went 3-3 in his starts and Watson admitted there was some rust he had to knock off.
The former Houston Texans Pro Bowler showed glimpses of his Pro Bowl form but completed just 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions. During a recent appearance on Twitter Spaces with Offseason Chopz, Watson addressed his struggles and some of the criticism he’s received.
“You can’t define my career off of six games,” Watson said. “That’s how it be when kind of things don’t go your way and you know people have their own opinions. But like I said, I’m gonna keep a smile on my face. I’m gonna keep showing love, and none of that stuff is gonna break me, man. I am who I am and people know who I am.”
Deshaun Watson Gets Honest on Super Bowl Expectations
Getty ImagesDeshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns made a massive investment to land Watson via blockbuster trade last offseason, giving up a haul of draft picks — including three first-rounders — and giving him a fully-guaranteed six-year, $230 million contract. The goal was to solve their decades-long quarterback conundrum and to make Cleveland a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
With a full year under his belt in Cleveland, he’s confident the Browns can turn the corner this season, relating it to the Philadelphia Eagles’ run a year ago.
“Who knew Philly was gonna go to the Super Bowl and do what they did?” Watson said. “Nobody did. I felt like we did when we practiced against them, because they were legit. … So we knew they were gonna have a lot of success. But the outside world, they wasn’t talking about Philly. And it’s gonna be another team this year.”
The host responded saying, “It’s gonna be the Browns this year, you’re right.” Watson quickly fired back: “Yeah, exactly.”
Outside of Watson, the Browns have some key pieces in place, including running back Nick Chubb, defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward. All are locked up on hefty contracts and the championship window is now for the Browns.
Browns Confident Watson Can Turn it Around
Despite a not-so-stellar debut season, Watson has lots of support within the building. Leading the charge is head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has spent a lot of time with Watson and sees the upside.
“I think confidence for me comes from seeing it, and I’ve seen him do it,” Stefanski said at the NFL Annual Meetings in March. “I saw him do it in those games last season. I know it wasn’t perfect. I certainly wasn’t perfect. We weren’t perfect around him and as we all know, it’s not a one-man show. It’s a team game and we didn’t have as much team success as we would’ve liked late in the season there.
“But I’ve seen it from Deshaun in games, I’ve seen it from practice, I’ve seen it in his career, so that’s why I’m confident.”
The Browns have done some work to improve Watson’s weapons. They landed Elijah Moore via trade, brought in speedy veteran Marquise Goodwin and selected Cedric Tillman with their top pick (No. 74) in the draft.
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