Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson didn’t mince words.
As Watson aims to return from a shoulder injury that ended his 2023 campaign after just six games, and on the heels of serving an 11-game suspension the prior season amid credible allegations of sexual misconduct, the Browns’ signal caller had a strong message for his critics.
When asked if he still believes he’s an elite quarterback, one of the top in the NFL, Watson needed just four words.
“Of course,” Watson told reporters. “No doubt.”
It has been a minute since Watson could be rightfully considered one of the top quarterbacks in the sport.
What Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson Must Prove in 2024
The Browns have built an offense, including with playmakers Jerry Jeudy and Amari Cooper at wide receiver, and guaranteed every last dollar of Watson’s contract, in hopes that he can rekindle what helped propel him to a career-high 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns to seven interceptions back in 2020.
However, Watson has made just 12 starts since the 2020 season and has completed only 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,217 yards with 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions in those games.
While Watson may not need to convince himself that he remains an elite quarterback, he may need to perform like one for the first time in nearly half a decade both to restore his reputation as such and help guide the Browns beyond the first-round playoff exit Cleveland made last season in his absence.
He says that there is nothing limiting him physically from pulling it off.
“I challenged myself to get back to this moment right now, and I wanted to make every throw in the spring,” Watson told reporters. “I did that. I was able to make every throw that Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache put out there on the table for me, and I was able to do that before spring broke. And so going into the summer and training camp, everything else was just building the strength and building that endurance with the shoulder.”
