The Cleveland Browns had a strangely successful 2023 campaign. Despite the fact they dealt with tons of injuries, including to their star quarterback Deshaun Watson, they qualified for the playoffs, where they bowed out in the Wild Card round at the hands of the Houston Texans. Heading into 2024, the hope is that a healthier season can help the team achieve bigger things.
It's no secret that Watson is going to play a big role in the Browns success moving forward as he returns from a shoulder injury that ended his season in Week 9. However, Cleveland's franchise quarterback believes that he will be good to go for Week 1 of the upcoming season, which is great news considering the revolving door the team had at the quarterback position last year.
Deshaun Watson hoping to put together complete campaign with Browns
Watson has now been with the Browns for two seasons, but he's only played in 12 total games during that time. Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 campaign, and in addition to missing the final eight games of the 2023 campaign, he missed three contests before that due to his shoulder ailment.
While he hasn't had any shot to get consistent action in Cleveland's offense, Watson hasn't looked like himself when he's been on the field for the Browns. His numbers over his first 12 games for the Browns aren't all that great (204/341, 2217 YDS, 14 TD, 9 INT, 62 CAR, 317 YDS, 2 TD), and considering how good Joe Flacco looked once he found his way under center last year, there's some concern that Watson's struggles are worse than initially expected.
The good news is that Cleveland will enter the 2024 campaign healthy, and Watson will have an even better group playing around him than he did last season. Nick Chubb will hopefully return at running back for Week 1 as well, and Watson will be throwing passes to Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Jerry Jeudy, and David Njoku. Assuming he can figure things out, this offense could be very dangerous.
The Browns proved last season that they have all the talent they need in place around their quarterback in order to succeed. Chances are they will be competitive regardless of how Watson plays, but if they intend on becoming a true Super Bowl contender, they are going to need Watson to play at the level he was at during his time with the Houston Texans.
The first step is getting Watson back on the field, and it seems like he's anticipating being ready for Week 1 of the season which is great news. But until he delivers on the field on a consistent basis, there's going to be some skepticism over whether or not he can provide for this team in the way he needs to. All eyes will be on Watson next season, and the hope is that this will be the season where he proves that Cleveland made the right decision in going out and pulling off a massive deal with Houston to make him their quarterback of the future.
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