If Deshaun Watson reclaims his starting QB job, he’s going to need to re-establish a connection with Browns fans.
Or should we say, establish a connection with Browns fans.
It has never happened since he arrived in 2022 amid misconduct allegations. Watson cost the team three No. 1 draft picks and six overall in a trade with the Houston Texans, plus a $230 million fully guaranteed contract that compromised the organization’s flexibility to assemble a winning team.
Now that he’s healthy after missing 49 of a possible 68 games through four seasons, Watson is embroiled in a quarterback competition with Shedeur Sanders, arguably the team’s most popular player.
Which is why Watson’s first appearance in front of media in 20 months on Wednesday was a notable occasion.
It’s another step in his career comeback, one closely observed by the organization bracing for possible fan backlash based on the outcome of the QB competition.
Watson came across as calm, confident, at peace with his mental being and physical health, and grateful for the opportunity to play for the Browns once more — even after owner Jimmy Haslam’s epic “big swing and a miss” comment in March of 2025 regarding the expensive acquisition of Watson.
“The relationship is great,” Watson said of the Haslams. “I mean, Dee and Jimmy, they were at my wedding [on July 3, 2025]. We talk all the time. He calls me whenever. You know, things happen.
“One of my favorite baseball players that I’ve been watching is Bryce Harper. Sometimes he swings, but he stands back up and he gets another opportunity and he hits a home run. So, you never know when the opportunity might show up and that’s what I have right now.”
Watson termed his lonely rehab from two Achilles tendon surgeries “tough, but at the same time, I was able to grow and learn.” He said he learned to be patient and it was “never a thought” that he might never play again.
Asked if he doubted he would play again for the Browns, Watson said, “No. And that’s just from internal conversations.”
When Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in his last game on October 20, 2024, some fans in Huntington Bank Field cheered derisively as he was carted off the field with his face buried in a towel. Myles Garrett was outspoken in admonishing fans who reacted that way.
Watson said he grew out of the emotions he felt at the time, and is not worried about fan reaction if he beats out Sanders.
“I can’t control what people support,” he said. “That’s their own opinions. I think all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate, and what I represent as an individual.”
Watson said he is in “a great space” mentally and is “enjoying myself out here, enjoying my teammates and the new coaching staff.” He said he’s in “a way better [head] space” than at any time since he joined the Browns.
“Of course, there was a lot going on [in 2022],” he said. “I’ve matured and I’m in a great position.”
Two dozen civil lawsuits against Watson brought by licensed massage therapists have been settled.
Watson suffered a rotator cuff injury and broken glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder in a Week 3 game against Tennessee in 2023. A year later came the Achilles rupture, followed by a second tear three months later of the same Achilles tendon. He’s coming back from two surgeries at the age of 30.
“I’m fully healthy, ready to go,” Watson said. “This last year I was able to conquer that. And I’ll just say I haven’t really been 100 percent since that Tennessee game in ’23.”
While the fan base may be polarized by the competition between Watson and Sanders, Watson said they have a good relationship.
“It’s been good,” he said. “I think from the time he got drafted, the relationships and conversations have been growing, even during the pre-draft. You know, we always just try to pull for each other.
“So, we both have the opportunity to go out there and put out the best product for the team and let [coach Todd] Monken and the organization choose who goes out there, and we’re going to support each other.”
Watson knows this is his last year with the Browns. His agent and the Browns mapped out an exit strategy after this season. In March, the Browns will terminate the four “void” years previously attached to his contract, and then will have to account for $86.2 million in salary cap charges spread over the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
Where will Watson be in 2027?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m trying to play a full season. I’m just trying to be healthy so I can play all 17-plus games.”
Shedeur on the QB competition
Sanders said he’s “not a judge,” and wouldn’t characterize what’s going on in the competition with Watson.
“I think the way y’all look at things is different than how we look at things,” he said. “We look at coming to practice every day, being the best player we can be as an individual and as a good teammate. Y’all look at it as like a competition. It’s not really nothing I’m just focused on.
“I’m focused on developing as a player, like doing everything, getting as comfortable as I can in the offense and the scheme and playing with that confidence I had. So I think that’s all I’m really looking for and trying to improve every day, whether it’s mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Like, I’m just trying to be a better person every day. And wherever that falls into place, it’ll fall into place.”
Brownie bits
Monken lost his voice and wasn’t available to media after the two-hour practice in a sweltering 100-degree heat index …
Rookie left tackle Spencer Fano, who struggled on Tuesday against newly-acquired edge rusher Jared Verse, practiced exclusively with the No. 2 offensive line on Wednesday. Dawand Jones was with the first team at left tackle …
Teven Jenkins was back at right guard with the No. 1 line after recent auditions by Jack Conley and KT Leveston. Elgton Jenkins remained mostly at center, but rookie Parker Brailsford did get some reps at center with the No. 1 line …
Watson took all the first-team reps in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods. Watson threw the only interception of the day when safety Ronnie Hickman jumped a route by tight end Jack Stoll …
Rookie receiver Denzel Boston (again) and Tylan Wallace had the receptions of the day …
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold pried the ball away from rookie receiver KC Concepcion after a catch …
Receiver Isaiah Bond, who’s had a really good spring season after missing OTAs and training camp as a rookie, said he packed on 15 pounds in the weight room in the offseason and now weighs 190 pounds. It’s showing up on the practice field. “I look better, so I feel better,” he said.