So far in his time with the Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson hasn’t lived up to the hype or his past performance in the NFL.
He was a bona fide star quarterback while with the Houston Texans, but in two seasons with Cleveland, he has struggled, and it has led some to say the Browns made a big mistake by trading for him and giving him a huge contract extension.
But Watson isn’t giving in to his critics, and on his official Twitter account, he posted a message and pictures showing his dedication to his craft.
Fell in love with my Hustle! Feeling BETTER THAN EVER! pic.twitter.com/ikvZCkC753
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) July 11, 2024
Watson was named to the Pro Bowl three straight times with Houston, and in 2020 he led the NFL in passing yards while completing 70.2 percent of his attempts.
But after serving an 11-game suspension at the start of the 2022 campaign stemming from sexual misconduct allegations against him, his production has fallen off a sharp cliff.
In two seasons with the Browns, he has completed just 59.8 percent of his pass attempts and thrown 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while appearing in just 12 games.
One has to genuinely wonder what has happened to his command of the quarterback position, especially given the fact that he’s just 28 years old.
The Browns certainly have given him the weapons to succeed in the form of five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku, who made the Pro Bowl in 2023 after posting 882 receiving yards and six touchdown catches, both of which were career highs.
Perhaps 2024 will be the year Watson finally returns to form.