Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson met reporters Wednesday following the team’s second day of mandatory minicamp and said it is “very important” to have the chance to start again after undergoing two Achilles surgeries that have kept him sidelined since October 2024.
Watson’s comments marked his first public remarks since rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024. He explained that “each and every person that walks into the locker room should have that mindset that you want to start in this league,” adding that’s the reason he works hard—to “be able to go out there and be able to perform on Sundays or whatever that day is.”
Watson said returning to the field remains his main focus. The 30‑year‑old confirmed that he is now healthy after a second surgery in January 2025 was needed to repair another Achilles rupture that caused him to miss the 2025 season entirely.
He enters the fifth and final year of a fully guaranteed $230 million contract and is competing with second‑year player Shedeur Sanders for the Browns’ starting quarterback role.
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A three‑time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, Watson is attempting to reset his time in Cleveland after injuries and inconsistent performance. Since arriving in a trade with Houston that sent three first‑round picks to the Texans in March 2022, he has appeared in 19 games while dealing with suspensions and injuries.
Watson has recorded a 33.1 QBR with Cleveland, which would rank last among qualifying passers if he had enough attempts to be eligible.
Along with his Achilles procedures, Watson also underwent shoulder surgery in November 2023. He said Wednesday that he is now “fully healthy” and hasn’t been 100% since hurting that shoulder in the Browns’ Week 3 matchup against the Titans in 2023.
Reflecting on his recovery process, Watson said, “It was a lot of ups and downs. I learned a lot about myself. Learned that [I] just got to be patient. Just keep working, keep pushing forward.”
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He shared that perseverance had always been part of his mindset: “I’ve always kind of had that mentality since I was a kid growing up. So it wasn’t anything new for me. The situation and environment was probably new, just being with the type of injuries that I had. But outside of that, I just keep pushing forward. That’s how life goes. Life is going to continue to go on. So yeah, it’s been tough, but at the same time, I was able to grow and learn.”
Watson began his Browns tenure under suspension and a $5 million fine after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Two Texas grand juries declined to bring charges a week before his trade to Cleveland. The quarterback served an 11‑game suspension and completed a treatment program as part of a discipline settlement reached in August 2022 between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
During a Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field last season, Watson tore his Achilles. He said some Browns fans cheered at the time but added that he “had emotions at the time, but you grow out of it.”
Watson also addressed comments from team owner Jimmy Haslam, who described the trade for him as a “big swing‑and‑miss” in March 2025. “The relationship is great,” Watson said. “Dee, Jimmy, they were at my wedding. We talk all the time. He calls me whenever. It happens and things like that. 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.”
He added, “So you never know what opportunity might show up, and that’s what I have right now.”
Sanders, Watson’s competitor for the starting job, said he’s not framing the situation as a battle for the position. “Y’all look at it as like a competition. That’s not really nothing I’m focused on,” Sanders said. “I’m focused on developing as a player, doing everything, getting as comfortable as I can in the offense and the scheme and playing with that confidence I had.”
Sanders also spoke about offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s coaching approach. He said he appreciates Monken’s vocal style and compared it to that of his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders. “Seems like something familiar I was used to,” he said. “He seems like a guy that I’m real familiar with. So I enjoy it. I definitely like his expectations he has for us, and he gives you no choice but to be great or to get out the way. I think it’s just that simple.”
The Browns’ quarterback decisions continue into training sessions as both Watson and Sanders work within Monken’s system and prepare for the coming season.
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