Deshaun Watson is ready for a big comeback and needs to stay focused on the future.
“It’s a new year. It’s a new season,” Watson said on Wednesday. “No matter if you won MVP or didn’t play last year, it’s a new year. If you’re thinking about last year, you’re going to fall behind.”
Watson is heading into what might be the most crucial season of his career—college or pro—with huge expectations and a lot of pressure. He has only started 12 games in his first two years with Cleveland, and his 2023 season ended because of a right shoulder injury that needed surgery and several months of tough rehab.
Watson worked hard and thinks he’s ready. Now, the real challenge begins.
On Sunday, he will play in a game for the first time since November 12. The Browns, who made it to the playoffs without him last season, will play against the Dallas Cowboys. For Watson, just being back on the field is a win.
It was uncertain when he’d be able to play again after breaking the glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder. But Watson achieved all the goals set by his doctors and the Browns’ medical team to return to play.
Watson realized during mini-camp practices in the spring that he would be ready for the fall.
“When we first had the surgery back in November, no one knew exactly where it was going to lead to,” he said before practice. “It could have been now as we’re sitting here today or it could have been a whole year, which would’ve been in November.
“So it was very broad, but I challenged myself to get back to this moment right now.”
There have been challenges for Watson. He didn’t play at all during the preseason and was limited in practice two weeks ago due to what coach Kevin Stefanski called “general arm soreness.”
Watson, however, says he could have continued throwing.
“It was a medical decision where they just told me any type of soreness or anything you’re feeling, we’re going to take the high road and not try to push anything further,” he said. “The key is to play 17-plus games, not finish training camp and try to be a superhero.”
Watson also mentioned there have “never been any limitations” on his arm.
The Browns hope that there won’t be any limits on his performance this season. They invested $230 million in Watson and haven’t seen the results they expected.
After missing 11 games in 2023 due to an NFL suspension, Watson showed some of his old skill last season before a shoulder injury, which was not fully known until he completed 14 of 14 passes in a second-half comeback to beat Baltimore.
But aside from that game, there have been too many average performances with too many turnovers and excuses.
Watson said the injury made him go “back to basics” and that he and his personal coach, Quincy Avery, rebuilt his throwing mechanics “from scratch.” He has improved his diet and, with help from doctors and trainers, remade himself.
“We sat down together, we put out a plan and we followed that plan,” he said. “I feel really, really well, feel very explosive, locked in on my tasks, on the game, endurance, everything. So I’m excited to go out there and show what I got on Sunday and with all the hard work that I put in.”
A three-time Pro Bowler in four seasons with Houston (he missed 2021 due to a contract dispute), Watson has not been the same game-changing quarterback with Cleveland for clear reasons. Statistically, he is among the lower half of quarterbacks in the AFC.
