Deshaun Watson Isn't Worried About How He's Perceived as He Competes for Browns' Starting Job
Watson says he is fully healthy as he tries to regain the Browns job after missing the 2025 season with Achilles injuries.
- On Wednesday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to mandatory minicamp, splitting first-team reps with second-year player Shedeur Sanders as Coach Todd Monken evaluates both for the starting job.
- Watson's bid to reclaim the role follows a ruptured right Achilles tendon on October 20, 2024, followed by a second surgery in January 2025 that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
- Monken stated both quarterbacks "played well enough to earn the right to compete to start," while Sanders said he focuses on "developing as a player" rather than viewing it as competition.
- Watson downplayed tensions with owner Jimmy Haslam, saying "the relationship is great," and described himself as an "introvert" now who avoids outside noise rather than engaging with critics.
- Watson's biggest focus entering the season is playing all 17 games, a goal that seemed "unfathomable a year ago" when he was recovering from two Achilles ruptures and appeared unlikely to play again.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Clears Stance on His Future Next Season as $230M Contract Expires in 2026
Deshaun Watson probably remembers when the Cleveland Browns‘ fans cheered after he tore his Achilles tendon in a Week 7 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. Since then, Watson hasn’t played an NFL game for the Browns. But now that he’s expected to start for Cleveland in 2026, he’s entering the final year of his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal. Naturally, it raises questions about his future after the 2026 season. But whe…
Browns' Deshaun Watson Opens Up on Shedeur Sanders Relationship
There are two Cleveland Browns quarterbacks in staunch competition for the job of starter next season, and the stakes are high for both. After all, for Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson, it’s conceivable that the winner may be the starter for the foreseeable future if things go well, and that the loser’s career as an NFL starter could wind down quickly. Despite that, the two have been careful throughout the process to be respectful and friendly …
Associated Press News
Deshaun Watson isn't worried about how he's perceived as he competes for Browns' starting job
Deshaun Watson knows he can’t change the public perception of him or the results of his first four seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
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