Cleveland Browns fans are excited to get the season rolling after an 11-6 campaign in 2023 but there are a couple of concerns. One is the health of Deshaun Watson, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason. The other is the contract situation for Amari Cooper, who is holding out.
According to Watson, however, there's not much to worry about.
The third-year Cleveland signal-caller recently said he's been throwing every day and feels good about his progress. He added that he and Cooper have been working together this offseason, so there should be no problem being on the same page once the contract situation gets resolved.
"The connection's been awesome. Me and Amari even with all the other guys, it's not like he's missed a beat," Watson said, via a Tweet shared by Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "Amari's always been there. We know what he can do. He's shown that. He's shown that over the offseason. The brotherhood, the love, the communication, none of that stuff has missed a beat at all."
Browns should be more concerned about Deshaun Watson than Amari Cooper
It's good to hear that Cooper is working with the starting quarterback but there are far fewer concerns with him than there is with Watson.
Cooper proved over the past two seasons that he can adapt to anything. He's worked with Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, and Joe Flacco — and set two franchise records despite the carousel.
Watson, on the other hand, has been struggling with consistency. We've seen flashes of brilliance from him — including the second-half comeback over the Baltimore Ravens in his final start. But he's also been wildly inaccurate at times and was a major reason they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Having said all of that, Watson has played at an elite level before. If he can get anywhere close to that in 2024, the Browns could make an awful lot of noise this year.
