Deshaun Watson has faced a lot of criticism this offseason but the Cleveland Browns quarterback remains undeterred. He believes most of that criticism has to do with his off-field problems and says he “must be pretty damn good” if he’s being discussed.
Leading up to the team’s arrival at training camp, Watson continued to show extreme confidence. This time, he received a gift from the Glenville High School team, who gave him one of their state championship rings.
Watson’s response was that he would make it two rings by bringing home a Super Bowl this year.
“I’m gonna get ya’ll that Super Bowl,”Watson said via Camryn Justice. “We’re gonna make that happen. Two rings by the end of the year, man.”
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson held his annual 7-on-7 Tournament with over 300 athletes from 16 local teams—including Glenville, who surprised Watson at his tournament with his own state championship ring.
In return, Watson made a promise: To get them all Super Bowl rings this year. pic.twitter.com/k2t2WFlz5J
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) July 17, 2024
This confidence is nothing new for Watson. He shared his goal to win a title as soon as the Browns traded for him. His struggles in 2022 after serving an 11-game suspension didn’t waver that belief as he said near the end of the season they would eventually win it all.
Cleveland was just 3-3 with Watson under center that year as he had seven touchdowns and five picks. This year, they were 5-1 in games he started (although one game saw him throw just five passes) but again Watson had disappointing numbers.
The $230 million quarterback completed 61.4 percent of his attempts for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns and four picks. His accuracy has been questionable and his turnovers are a major problem.
With a fully guaranteed contract, the Browns don’t have many options other than to hope Watson’s faith in himself isn’t misplaced. They did well to sign Jameis Winston as the backup quarterback, and can win plenty of games with him.
Having said that, this roster is deep enough to contend for a title. The only thing that’s been missing is the type of play Watson believes he can bring.
