Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Deshaun Watson is locked in as he prepares for what could be the most pivotal season of his NFL career.
Watson is aiming to reclaim the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job after missing all of last season, but the road back has been anything but smooth. Since arriving in Cleveland in 2022, he’s dealt with a string of significant injuries, including two Achilles surgeries following a rupture suffered during an October 2024 game.
In four seasons with the Browns, Watson has appeared in just 19 games, throwing for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Now healthy and at a career crossroads, Watson appears fully committed to turning things around. On Thursday, he shared a video from a throwing session in Florida alongside Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond and Jamari Thrash — a clear sign he’s putting in the work ahead of a crucial offseason.
“Work mode: always on!” Watson wrote.
Watson is entering the final year of the fully guaranteed $230 million deal he signed upon arriving in Cleveland, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. If he can’t get back on the field this season or fails to produce when he does, his future in the NFL could be in serious jeopardy.
Browns Praise Shedeur Sanders for Being Present
The Browns have Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel under contract for next season. Sanders and Watson are expected to battle it out for QB1 duties through the offseason program and training camp.
Sanders has already earned praise from new head coach Todd Monken for staying active around the Browns’ facility this offseason, which only makes Watson’s caption all the more intriguing.
“It’s too early to really evaluate him other than it’s been great that he’s been in the building,” Monken said. “It’s refreshing to see a player that recognizes where he’s at and where he wants to get to.”
Sanders started the final seven games last season. He went 3-4 during his rookie campaign, passing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Brown Offer Deshaun Watson ‘Fresh Start’
No one would blame the Browns for moving on from Watson. He hasn’t delivered when available, and injuries have repeatedly derailed his time in Cleveland. Owner Jimmy Haslam even labeled the trade a “big swing and miss” last offseason.
But Haslam struck a noticeably different tone at this year’s NFL owners meetings, walking back some of that criticism and signaling renewed optimism around Watson’s outlook.
“Now Deshaun has a great chance, a fresh start, an offensive-minded coach who has, in his past, been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” Haslam said. “So Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day. He said he weighed less than he had in several years, was in great shape. He’ll be here on April 7 when we start, and let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”
Watson has some work to do as he looks to make the Browns — and their fans — believers again. It’ll start later this month, when the team gathers to begin their offseason program.