Deshaun Watson doesn't care what anyone thinks. He's determined to return to his old form in 2023. (TheLandOnDemand)
Deshaun Watson is poised to prove he can be the player he used to be
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
To appreciate the different vibe in the opening week of the Browns’ offseason conditioning program, just consider the state of the quarterback room.
A year ago at this time, the Browns had four quarterbacks on their roster, and one was Baker Mayfield, a fallen leader banished to his own Elba in Austin, TX.
Deshaun Watson was on board, but nobody knew when he would be eligible to play, if at all.
Jacoby Brissett was the projected starter, but nobody knew how long he would be at the throttle.
Josh Dobbs was signed, but nobody knew what he’d bring.
The controversial acquisition of Watson was still rattling league owners while a pair of celebrity lawyers in Houston publicly debated the facts of the latest revelations of unsavory accusations about him.
Kevin Stefanski and his offensive coaches were feverishly writing two scripts of offenses – one to suit Brissett to start the season and one tailored to the eminently more athletic Watson, who hadn’t played in 18 months.
Nobody knew it at the time, but Sue L. Robinson and Peter C. Harvey would have more impact on the Browns’ 2022 season than Nicholas Jamaal Chubb.
Now, all of that uncertainty and angst has been expunged.
Watson is settling in as the undisputed field leader and face of the football team, freed of further NFL suspension and his legal issues nearing a finish line. As a result, things seem normal in April for the first time in Stefanski’s four seasons as coach.
Asked if that in fact were the case, Stefanski sighed as he struggled to find the right words, and just tapped his knuckles on the wooden table in front of him, as if to say, “Don’t jinx it.”
Night and day
In his first appearance in front of media on Tuesday since his 2022 season exit interview on January 9, Watson was relaxed, comfortable and assertive.
“It’s night and day,” he said of the difference from a year ago.
“Last year, I had only been to Cleveland twice -- when I came on a pre-visit [in spring of 2017] and when we played [in November of 2020]. Outside of that, it was my first time up here with everything going on. All of that is in the past, like I said before, and I’m looking to move forward with my life and my career, just being able to really plant myself in this community, this city and also in this organization for a very long time. Win a whole bunch of games.”
Now, Watson doesn’t have to worry about ceding temporary leadership of the team. He doesn’t have to worry about a horde of potentially damaging legal entanglements.
He has settled 23 of 25 civil cases alleging sexual assault filed by female massage therapists regarding massage sessions in Houston in 2020 and 2021. Two are pending, but neither will result in further sanctions by the NFL.
After months of NFL-mandated therapy sessions, Watson no longer incites further controversy by professing that he never “disrespected” women or did anything wrong. Either he has figured it out or his circle of advisors has wizened up.
“I’m healthy. I am great. I am happy,” Watson said. “I am blessed to be in this position I am. Anything that has to do with the legal side, I let my legal team deal with that.
“My main focus is continuing to grow as an individual, as a person and just continuing to grow as a football player. If I continue to do that, and look forward and look at all the positive things round me, then I know things can continue to be blessings that surround me.”
How good will he be?
With undivided attention now on maximizing their enormous investment in Watson, the Browns upgraded the support of their quarterback.
They added speed receivers Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin, and tight end Jordan Akins, a former Houston teammate of Watson, and returned coordinator Alex Van Pelt to the dual role of quarterbacks coach after young Drew Petzing left for the Arizona Cardinals.
Throughout the offseason, Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have indicated the offense will morph to a more pass-happy system to suit Watson, with more multiple-receiver formations and plays to allow Watson to utilize his off-structure play-making ability.
All of which tacks on more pressure on Stefanski to mesh with Watson and reverse two losing seasons out of the playoffs.
“I play a little bit different style than the previous quarterbacks here,” Watson said. “The play-calling is going to be different. It’s a different style of quarterback play that Kevin has been around. He had Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum and then went from Baker to Jacoby and then to me. It’s different styles of playing -- what I was doing in Houston. It’s always growing. We are always continuing to try to find ways to improve. We are going to have our battles and our challenges, but you have to be able to adjust and move forward from that.”
Contrasting the optimism that emanates from the Browns, Watson and his new team fly under the national radar. Nobody is touting the Browns as a playoff contender, and that speaks to an unmistakable lack of faith among national pundits in Watson regaining the lofty status he enjoyed before the scandals that sidetracked his career. He should be touted as the leading candidate for comeback player-of-the-year. But nobody is going there.
How does Watson feel about that?
“I don’t say anything,” he said. “That’s their own opinions. I know who I am, this organization knows who I am and the guys that I play with know who I am. Everyone has their own opinions of what they want to say or how they want to -- just the fact of last year.
"At the end of the day, I have an opportunity to go out there and prove what I need to prove in 2023. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m not focused on what anybody else has to say.”
