Deshaun Watson will compete for the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback job.
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Deshaun Watson will compete for the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback job.
Deshaun Watson is positioning himself well to be in the mix for the starting quarterback job next season with the Cleveland Browns.
Watson is returning to the field after missing all of last season. He had two Achilles surgeries, which sidelined him for the entire year, outside of a three-week return-to-practice window late in the season. Watson was never activated to the 53-man roster.
Watson appears to be fully healthy and ready to roll for the team’s offseason program. He’s been working out in Florida and Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com said the reviews have been positive.
“[The Browns] are willing to see if Watson can rebound this season coming off his two surgeries to repair the ruptured and re-ruptured right Achilles. Reports out of South Florida, where he’s throwing under the guidance of his quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery, have all been very positive, and Todd Monken is eager to work with him,” Cabot said.
Deshaun Watson Entering Final Year of Browns Contract
It’s a make-or-break season for Watson, who is entering the final year of the fully guaranteed $230 million deal he signed upon his arrival in Cleveland back in 2022.
Watson’s tenure in Cleveland has fallen well short of expectations. The Browns surrendered three first-round picks — plus additional draft capital — to acquire him in a blockbuster deal, but the return hasn’t matched the investment. Watson has appeared in just 19 games, throwing for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
For comparison, he led the NFL in passing in his final full season with the Texans, racking up 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns.
However, the upside Watson showed while he was making Pro Bowls in Houston has new head coach Todd Monken intrigued as he weighs the quarterback decision.
“I think anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again,” Monken said. “And I think that’s how you should look at every player. […] Now you’re going to have some preconceived notions obviously because we have prior evidence, but I don’t decide who plays. The players decide who plays. I’ve never decided who plays.”
Browns Want QB Decision by Training Camp
The Browns are having an “open competition” for the starting job. But Monken has said that the hope is that Cleveland can set its quarterback situation by training camp.
“You would hope that that’s the case,” Monken said. “You would hope that by the time you get to training camp that the reps that you’re giving to a quarterback is for your starter. Whether we get to that place, I don’t know. That’ll be determined in the offseason as part of it. It’s just another part of the piece.”
Shedeur Sanders will also be prominently in the mix for the starting job after starting seven games as a rookie. Dillon Gabriel is on the roster, but it appears to be a two-horse race between Watson and Sanders — at least for now.
The Browns have yet to add another quarterback to the roster, leaving the draft as their most realistic path to an upgrade. However, this year’s class offers limited help. Outside of presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, there are few prospects who would significantly move the needle for Cleveland.