The Cleveland Browns have five quarterbacks on their roster heading into 2025 training camp and preseason. Deshaun Watson is one of those five quarterbacks, although he is not expected to play barring an unforeseen change.
Outside of Watson, the Browns have Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel on the roster. It will be a fun competition to watch between hungry players trying to earn playing time.
For Watson, the Cleveland veteran is still working his way back from tearing his Achilles last season. He re-tore the Achilles during his initial recovery, which set him back even further. Despite the injuries, the quarterback is simply focused on the details.
In a recent media appearance, Watson spoke out about his focus as he comes back from the injury. He's working on fine-tuning his game.
"I think it's a fun challenge, just cause we starting from ground zero," Watson said. "I've been throwing my whole life. It's really natural but it's the little details and fundamentals that comes with it to be a little more accurate, to add that more power, that rotation. The more fluent you can be as a passer, as a thrower it'll just flow better. Obviously, I don't wanna be hurt, but at the same time, using this moment to really focus on the details that I wouldn't focus on if I was rushing back."
Things have not gone well for the 29-year-old since being traded to the Browns. Originally viewed as the answer to the team's long-term quarterback question, Watson has had three straight bad years.
In 2022, he played in just six games for the Browns, completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He backed that up in 2023 with six games played, a 61.4 percent completion rate, 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Last season, there was hope that he could finally put everything together. However, he completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in seven games before the season-ending Achilles tear.
Watson may be unlikely to play for Cleveland again, but he's taking his recovery in stride and simply focusing on what he can control.
No one knows what the future has in store. He's under contract with the Browns for big money for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons before becoming a free agent. Watson will simply continue focusing on doing his best to improve and get back on the field when he's given a chance to do so.
