More than two years into the Deshaun Watson era, the Cleveland Browns still don’t know what it’s like to have the quarterback play a full season — or even half of one, for that matter.
Watson has missed 11 games in each of his first two campaigns with the franchise. In 2022 that was due to a suspension from the NFL for violating its player code of conduct policy. Last year, it was due to a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in November.
But the QB continues his rehabilitation in Los Angeles and recently began throwing for the first time since undergoing the aforementioned surgery in late 2023. He spoke publicly on Thursday, April 4 as to his hopes for the upcoming campaign, as the Browns try to earn a playoff spot for the second consecutive year.
“We aim to complete a full season,” Watson informed Camryn Justice of WEWS Cleveland. “In the first year, we dealt with NFL-related matters, and last year, an injury arose beyond my control. However, if we secure a full season, remarkable achievements await. I firmly believe it, as does the organization and the locker room. We’re assembling a formidable contender.”
Watson’s comments came at the grand opening of Lefty’s Cheesesteak in University Heights, a restaurant in which Watson has invested, according to Justice.
Watson earned three Pro Bowl nods with the Houston Texans before taking a season off. Following that, his former team traded him to Cleveland in exchange for three first-round picks and additional assets. In Cleveland, he inked a lucrative five-year deal worth $230 million, fully guaranteed.
Despite his 8-4 regular-season record as a starter for the Browns, Watson’s performance hasn’t been outstanding. Across 12 starts, he has a 59.8% completion rate, with 2,217 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference.
The team has affirmed that Watson will be the starting quarterback for the 2024 season, but they have also taken steps to strengthen the quarterback position by signing Jameis Winston to a $4 million contract and Tyler Huntley to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. Additionally, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round rookie in 2023 who started three games for Cleveland last season, is still part of the roster.
All that is to say that if Watson struggles early, or gets hurt again, the Browns have set themselves up to make the type of potentially permanent switch the team would probably rather avoid, given how deeply it has invested in Watson from both a financial standpoint and in terms of draft capital over a multi year stretch
