Browns' Deshaun Watson Makes 1st Public Remarks Since 2024 Injury Amid QB1 Duel with Shedeur Sanders

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is battling for the starting job with Shedeur Sanders this offseason and made his first public comments since his October 2024 Achilles injury on Wednesday.

"I'm in a way better space, and I've matured," he told reporters when comparing where he is at to when he arrived in Cleveland ahead of the 2022 season.

He also said he's now more of an introvert and continues to "focus on things I need to focus on."

To say things haven't worked out as planned for Watson and the Browns to this point would be a massive understatement.

He was a three-time Pro Bowler who led the league with 4,823 passing yards in 2020 when he was a member of the Houston Texans but has appeared in just 19 games with Cleveland due to a combination of suspension and injury.

Watson is 9-10 in those 19 starts with 19 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions, which is a far cry from his status as one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he was at his peak in Houston.

Plenty of Browns fans are surely frustrated with how his tenure has unfolded, and he was asked Wednesday how he would respond to those who don't want him to be the team's starting quarterback.

"I can't control what people support," he said. "… I think that 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. Outside of that, I can't focus on what the outside is saying. I have no control over that."

The 2026 campaign is the final one on his deal with the Browns, which means this may be his last chance to win over that fanbase and return to the form he demonstrated in Houston. First, though, he will have to beat out Sanders for the starting job.

For his part, Sanders told reporters Wednesday he is more focused on improving as an individual, person and a teammate than the competition aspect of the situation with Watson:

Sanders didn't exactly secure his spot as the long-term quarterback answer in his rookie season by throwing for seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in seven starts. He posted a terrible 18.9 QBR and may find himself in a backup role if Watson performs well during training camp and the preseason.

And Watson may do just that since he told reporters he sees plenty of similarities between head coach Todd Monken's system and the one he thrived with in Houston.

"It's a lot of responsibility on the quarterback in the system," he said. "And I think that's what I had in Houston when I was with Bill O'Brien. It was pretty much that Tom Brady tree, and everything relies on the quarterback operation. So with Monk, he's given a lot of responsibility to us, and you got to own up to the responsibilities and the situations and what you decide to do on the field. I think that's something that I'm very comfortable with."

The quarterback position will be the primary storyline in Cleveland until there is a starter named for the Sept. 13 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.