The second season of his tenure with the Cleveland Browns came to a screeching halt ahead of Week 10 for quarterback Deshaun Watson due to a shoulder injury. At the time, the Browns were 6-3 and playing well, though Watson was largely struggling.
Once he left the lineup, it took a bit before the Browns found veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and went on a magical run before losing in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Now, with Flacco off to Indianapolis to back up second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, there is no real debate under center for the Browns. It’s Watson’s team again, and based on his comments to fans Thursday, he’ll be ready for the season opener.
“Shoulder is great. Be ready by Week 1 for sure,” Watson said to fans Thursday, according to video via 92.3 The Fan Daryl Ruiter in Cleveland.
Watson was injured earlier in the 2023 season, suffering a shoulder bruise that caused him to miss three games. Then, in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, he suffered a sprained ankle and further injured his shoulder, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
But during a meeti and greet for the grand opening of his new restaurant in Cleveland Heights Thursday, Watson made the statement that he’d be ready for Week 1.
In another video on Twitter from Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot, Watson stated he’s confident in the work he’s put in and the surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“I’m very confident in, in the roles of the doctors. Like I said before, Dr. ElAttrache and his team, following their lead. And just all the research that I’ve done and then just my work in preparation,” Watson said to Cabot, according to video via Cabot on Twitter. “You know, I put my whole life into this. I want to make sure I come back better than before.”
Those comments echo ones he made just a few days ago on his podcast with QB guru Quincy Avery, stating that he was in a good spot in his rehab from shoulder surgery that ended his 2023 season.
“The situation is good,” Watson said on QB Unplugged posted on YouTube on Friday. “We’re in a great spot, right where we need to be. We have plenty of time to ramp up the throwing sessions and things like that, but everything is going pretty smooth.”
Watson added that while he’s ready to start throwing from a performance standpoint, he is still building up to that point in his rehab, which means it’s unlikely he’ll participate much — if at all — in the Browns’ first session of voluntary workouts starting on April 15. Organized Team Activities officially start on May 21 for Cleveland, which gives Watson just under two full months to ramp up the throwing portion of his rehab and return to full football activities.
Based on his declaration to fans Thursday, he’ll be on good to go for the season opener in the fall as Cleveland looks to take the next step under head coach Kevin Stefanski as a true contender in the NFL.
The Browns have had a strong offseason to date, trading for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and giving him a three-year, $58 million extension, while also addressing QB depth behind Watson by signing veterans Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
