Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson generated headlines and attracted some criticism when he said this summer he "could give two [expletive] what other people say" about him and his team.
Watson sent a new message to critics amid predictions forecasting that the 2024 Browns may struggle to qualify for the postseason tournament with the 28-year-old back in the lineup.
"It’s fine with us," Watson said Wednesday about some questioning what the Browns can achieve this season, as shared by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It’s perfect. We’re just going to go under the radar and work. That’s all we can do. We don’t get into all the power rankings and people’s opinions. It’s the NFL. Things change, teams change, rankings change."
As of early Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Browns at +145 betting odds to make the playoffs this season.
Watson has played in just 12 regular-season games since the end of the 2020 campaign and is coming off what eventually became a season-ending shoulder injury after he first hurt that shoulder in Week 3 last September.
While the 2023 Browns made the playoffs thanks largely to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, Cleveland replaced those two this offseason with new coordinator Ken Dorsey and current backup Jameis Winston.
It is now no secret that many of the decisions made by the Browns following their humbling 45-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans were about helping Watson reclaim the form that made him a Pro Bowl selection with Houston each season from 2018 through 2020. He said on Wednesday he has "no doubt" he is still among the elite quarterbacks in this league.
"Everyone is super confident," Watson added about the mindset inside the Browns locker room. "I think [head coach Kevin Stefanski] and [Dorsey] did a heck of a job this camp of, you know, making sure we dial in everything that we’re super good at. Everything that we’re very efficient at. ...So, everyone is super confident in what the game plan is going in this week."
On Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Browns as 2.5-point favorites for this Sunday's regular-season opener versus the Dallas Cowboys held at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field. Watson and Co. could send quite a message to doubters by lighting up the scoreboard against one of the NFL's top defensive units.
