BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Deshaun Watson’s second start for the Browns went significantly better than his first, except for the final score.
As Watson prepares to make his first start in front of the home crowd Saturday, he is clearly still knocking off the rust and has looked like a shadow of the player that led the NFL in passing in 2020.
“I don't want to be where I was in 2020. I wanna be better,” Watson said Wednesday. “So I have a long way to go. I want to continue to improve. I want to be that player whenever I step on the field, no one can stop us and that's my mentality. But you have to go out there and continue to show that and try to do that and not just talk about it, but actually prove it on the field.
“I'm nowhere near where I want to be, and this team also is nowhere near where we want to be, so we gotta continue to just keep growing and finish the season strong.”
Everyone is anxious to see when Watson will return to form. It’s an easier question to ask than for Watson to answer.
“I don't put limits on myself. I don't put timetables on myself,” Watson said. “Each and every day I just try to find a way to improve.
So if that's mentally, if that's leadership, if that's the student of the game, play calling, getting on the same page with Kevin, AVP, and those guys. Like every day is an opportunity for me to improve.
“I don't want to put any limits or timetable on myself because I'm setting myself up for who knows, disappointment or something like that if I don't meet that time line.”
With the Browns 5-8 and their playoff hopes all but extinguished, the final four games become about getting Watson rolling and the rest of the team putting plays on tape to audition for a return or jobs with 31 other teams in 2023.
“I can't control how the rankings and status’ are, the only thing I can control is try to win it on [Saturday],” Watson said. “So if we can win, well Saturday the next two weeks and finish out the season strong, then who knows what can happen. And if we make it or not, that's something that we just gotta let how things play out.”
Against the Bengals, Watson completed 26 of 42 passes for 276 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a rating of 79.1.
“Last week was definitely an improvement,” Watson said. “Of course we wanna score more points and win the game, but if you speak individually, yeah it was definitely improvement, but I have a long way to go.”
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt liked what he saw in Cincinnati from Watson.
“I thought with the accuracy, that was the biggest thing that stood out,” Van Pelt said. “He made some really nice throws. Got through the progressions. Got to second and third targets through the progression. I think that is where I saw the biggest jump. His footwork was improved for sure. He is just going to continue to improve. I thought it was a good step.”
This week Watson will get re-introduced to the Ravens, who beat him twice – 33-16 in 2020 and 41-7 in 2019 – while with the Texans.
“This is a new opportunity, new challenge and a whole different new team,” Watson said. “So I'm looking forward to the challenge.”
The last time Watson played at FirstEnergy Stadium, kickoff was delayed nearly 40 minutes due to mid-November storm in 2020. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in a 10-7 loss to the Browns.
“That was crazy,” Watson said. “That was something I wasn't nowhere close to expecting and wasn't used to. So yeah, it was like five different weather changes in an hour, so it was pretty nuts.”
Weather was thought to be a prohibiting factor in the Browns recruitment of Watson, but in the end $230 million guaranteed beat out Mother nature.
“My main focus was what is the best situation for me and what is the best situation for the organization to win a Super Bowl,” Watson said. “I felt like Cleveland was the best situation. That is something that [Jimmy Haslam] asked me for sure, but I told him at the end of the day it is football.
You can get any weather in any situation other than playing in a dome.
“For me, my main focus was just what is the locker room like, what is the organization like and how can we go win a Super Bowl. That was my main focus, and that is why I chose Cleveland.”
Watson will get his first taste of Cleveland in December.
The forecast is calling for a chance of snow and a high of 31.
“I'd be crazy if I sat up here and said it's not a challenge, but, not just for me but it’s for the opponent also,” Watson said. “Baltimore gotta come in and deal with the same weather as we do, so we just gotta go out there and just put the weather to the side and just try to make as many plays as we can.”
