BEREA, Ohio — When the Browns traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson, giving him a five-year, $230 million guaranteed contract, they expected him to play at the elite level that he did with the Houston Texans before the litigation he's faced over the past few years.
After getting through most of that litigation and subsequent suspension last season, Watson is entering his first full season as the Browns' starting quarterback—and with the offense in his hands, the Browns trust that he can get back to being that elite QB they worked so hard to get.
The Browns are gearing up for their final preseason game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Watson and most of the starters will take the field for around 20-25 plays, giving Watson another chance to show his control of the offense, which he said the Browns have handed to him.
“AVP [Alex Van Pelt] and Kevin [Stefanski] gave me the keys and they're letting me control a lot of things that we do on the field, along with them play calling in the headset and being able to see things that I can check out too," Watson said.
While Watson has taken over and is growing in the role of the offensive leader, he also notes that full control, and the trust that comes with it, takes time. He sees Saturday's preseason game as another opportunity to prove himself.
"That comes over time. Me understanding this offense, understanding what they want to do and what schemes that we want to do in the run game and the passing game and then just being able to build that trust and build that ownership of taking control of the offense and being on the field and being that coach and player at the same time—all that stuff is, just keep stacking and building that trust and we have another opportunity this weekend to continue to build up," Watson said.
The Browns have the trust in Watson already, as head coach Kevin Stefanski noted before Wednesday's practice session.
"That’s any good relationship – builds trust as time goes on. But, yeah, he knows that he has the ultimate trust from us when he’s standing there behind the center. We always talk about (how) that’s the best view in the house. So what he sees, we trust what he sees," Stefanski said.
What the head coach would like to see from Watson on Saturday and into the regular season is more of what he's already shown them. Stefanski believes Watson's understanding of the scheme, the pass-and-run game protections from the offensive line, and all of the nuance they hope to achieve with their versatile lineup of weapons has grown since his arrival.
Now, it's about translating it to game action.
Watson is hopeful that he can show that against the Chiefs—because while it may be more vanilla than Week 1 when it counts, there's still plenty of opportunity to have a well-executed few series against the NFL's top team.
"Not going out there and doing too much, just real smooth, clean, like Kevin said, ultimately that's the biggest goal. If you can do that and just go out there and be sharp and then execute the game plan and just follow your reads and follow your footwork, then everything else is going to take care of itself," Watson said of his goals for Saturday.
As for his goals for himself and his time in Cleveland—he is taking it day by day. Still, there's no question what the expectations are for Watson, from both the organization and the fan base.
The hope is that Watson can return to the conversation of being an elite NFL quarterback. Right now, he feels good about his game because of the position he's in and is focused on being the best version of himself.
"If you're a starting quarterback in this league, you're pretty elite. This is a hard business. This is a hard job to have and it's only 32 spots so out of the whole world. So I mean I feel like everyone's elite and I got to be self-driven to be the best Deshaun Watson I can be for this team and for myself," Watson said.
But to get into the top tier again, to be named alongside guys like Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes—who they'll see on Saturday—Watson believes it will happen, all in due time.
"I missed two years of football, so I mean I shouldn't be in those rankings, to be honest. If you’re asking me, I haven't played ball, I haven't played enough football the last two years to even be up there," Watson said. "So I’ve got to go out there and prove and show what I’ve got to do to get back in those conversations. But for me, I’ve just got to lock in on what I need to lock in on and just focus on my tasks and everything else will take care of itself."
The next test comes on Saturday in Kansas City. The Browns and Chiefs game kicks off at 1 p.m. You can watch the game right here on News 5.
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