Cleveland Browns fans would be thrilled if quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to his 2020 level of play. That season, with the Houston Texans, Watson led the NFL in passing. But Watson has something different in mind for the 2023 season.

“I'm not the same guy. I feel like I've improved. I've evolved to a new level.” Watson said when comparing himself today versus his younger self, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.

Watson does not simply want to match the expectations that he established for himself by way of his play in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He wants to be even better as a quarterback. “And I know I can be.”

He can't be much worse than he was last season.

Watson began the 2022 season, his first in Cleveland, serving an 11-game suspension because of myriad allegations of sexual assault made by over 20 women against the former Clemson star. Watson has been accused of sexually assaulting women during massage treatments.

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When he did get back on the field, Watson did nothing to elevate a scuffling Browns team. He failed to eclipse the 300-yard mark in all six games he started, passing for over 200 yards just twice. He ended the season with seven touchdowns against five interceptions and a QBR of 40.4.

There is hope for optimism for Browns fans that Watson will be markedly better in 2023, however. Most importantly, the team returns Nick Chubb and a strong ground game. Chubb third in rushing yards in the NFL in 2022, a season after finishing second.

Cleveland also returns its leading wide receiver, Amari Cooper. Last season, despite Watson missing most of the season, Cooper posted 1,160 receiving yards on 78 catches. Add those playmakers to one of the NFL's better offensive lines, and Watson should improve upon last season's brief and ugly cameo.

After signing the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history, Watson is now further raising expectations. He might not want to settle for reaching his past level of play, but surely Browns fans would welcome such improvement.