QB Deshaun Watson (8.24.26)
Opening statement:
“First off, I want to address the comments from Saturday after the game. I think just human nature and myself being very emotional, putting a lot of time these last two years to get back, spend time in this facility, in the city, meeting a lot of different people in the community, I thought I was going to get a little different response. But I think my emotions got the best of me, and my comments weren’t intended to go at any of the fans around the city, because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me. And I know the frustration this organization has put a lot of investment into getting me back in ’22, and things haven’t been going the right direction that we thought it would. A lot of injuries, a lot of time off, and not putting my best football and my best foot forward. So, again, I understand the frustration, I understand everything that goes into that. Moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there, having the best ability because I thrive off the energy. I thrive off the energy of the fans, I thrive off the energy of the community, I thrive off all that stuff. Looking back at my history at Clemson, and previously at the Houston organization, I was a big community guy, a big city guy, a big fan guy during the game. So again, my emotions got the best of me. I’m human, I take full responsibility of that. Moving forward, I want to make sure I put the best product out there for the team, for the organization, and for the city, so we can put a lot of wins and celebrate and put Cleveland on the map. That’s why I put the helmet on my head, and I put the uniform on my body as I go out there and make sure I put my best foot forward. That was one of the reasons I chose this city is to come and have a lot of wins with this community, with this city, and make sure we’re on the right track so we can have a lot of celebrations and a lot of excitement each and every Sunday. So, again, moving forward, I just want to make sure that I can give the city something to think about in the first two games, and when we come back home, that we have something to cheer about, and we can celebrate go do what we want to do and that’s to achieve the ultimate goal and go win and be a champion.”
What is your reaction to being named the starter?
“It’s great. Like I mentioned before, this is what I’ve been working for two years is to be able to show that I’m capable of being a starter for one of the 32 organizations in this league. Today was excitement, I had no idea until I walked into the building and I talked with Coach Monk (Todd Monken). It felt good, a lot of excitement. But it comes with a lot of work, too. It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of challenges that I have to continue to overcome, and I just have to continue to work on achieving those victories each and every day so I’m ready and prepared. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs, but at the same time, I’m excited to be a starting quarterback in this league, especially a starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.”
Were you worried that the comments Saturday could affect the decision to make you the starter?
“Not necessarily, because with Monk, we talked about it, we mentioned it, and I just felt like, in that moment, as a human, with my emotions going on, I felt what was in my heart. But we spoke on it, we moved on from it, and we’re on the same page as an organization, as a team. So, like I said before, moving forward it’s just focusing on playing good football and putting W’s on the board.”
On the field Saturday, the first quarter didn’t go the way you anticipated, and it was difficult. What gives you the confidence and hope that the things that didn’t go right for you Saturday, that once you get in regular season game action starting week one, they’ll start to go right for you?
“Because I have an organization and a team walking into the building today that has 110 percent support, and I think that goes a long way. Knowing that I have teammates in our locker room that support me, knowing that I have coaching staff that supports me, knowing that I have an organization that supports me. The other stuffs got to take care of itself on the field. Now it’s my job to show that I’m capable of putting points on the board and getting W’s, and I think that if we can do that, then I can earn the respect and loyalty of the rest of the fan base. That’s what I’ve got to do, because it was a big investment, and we haven’t gotten the product out of that investment so far. I have another shot, I have another chance, so I want to make sure I take full responsibility of this opportunity.”
Todd also said if you play winning football, all of that conversation kind of goes away. Are you prepared for the reaction if there are highs and lows, bumps in the road early?
“Am I prepared? I don’t think you can ever really be prepared for that, but I think the best thing I can do is give my full ability. And that’s being the best player I can possibly be, being the best leader I can possibly be, and showcasing that I can go out there and produce. After that, you’ve got to let the chips fall how they play, and then we’ll see when we get to that moment.”
Those comments postgame were the first time you’d commented on what happened when you were hurt. Did you feel like that just had to get out of your system?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not a big talker anyway, so I think people around and people who know me and people around the organization, I just felt like it was what was in my heart. And again, it was never intended to go at a certain person or a certain fan base, or a certain crowd. It was just, this is how I feel. And once I got it off my chest, I felt better and now I can move forward from it.”
You said earlier that you were a big fan guy at Clemson and in Houston. Has that made it harder to hear the kind of response you’ve heard here from the fans, like the one Saturday? Has that adjustment been jarring?
“It’s definitely difficult, but again, I have to take full responsibility of that. You can’t just walk into a place and earn that respect right away. I think me showcasing my personality maybe a little bit more, showcasing that I can play good football, showcasing that I am a winner, I am a leader. I want to lean on the fan base to be able to showcase and bring that energy to the stadium downtown. Yeah, it’s been a little difficult, but at the same time, I have to do my part to be able to earn that.”
How are you going to handle it if the fans boo again? They already booed Saturday, and they’ll probably feel worse after your comments. How are you going to handle it if that happens again?
“I’ve got to just focus on playing football, man. Just focus on playing good football. And if we win playing good football, then it will take care of itself. Then I think everything else is going to work out how it’s supposed to work out.”
Speaking of football, where do you think your game is right now compared to the start of training camp? Do you think you’re getting better?
“Oh, yeah, I think I’m getting better. I think mentally I’ve been getting better. There’s a lot of things, too, that me and Monk talked personally that we haven’t showcased. We haven’t showcased my full talent and ability to run in this offense, being able to run and being able to use my athletic ability, getting outside the pocket, being able to do some other QB-driven stuff. So, I’m excited to see what we can cook up getting ready for week one.”
You mentioned already that showing your personality a little bit might help, but do you feel like there are a number of other things that you can do, you have a whole month between now and September 27th, to change the narrative a little bit about you, in addition to playing winning football?
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know what that may be, honestly, so that’s something I’ll probably have to get with the organization about. Like I mentioned before, I already do community service. That’s always something that’s been huge since I was in high school, so I do that. I hang out with my teammates. When I do interact with people outside the building, in the community, in restaurants, it’s all good vibes. I don’t know, I’m not a big social media person either, I post here and there, but that’s something I have to talk with the team to see if that’s something that can help.”
Getting a couple of games on the road to build up some positive momentum going into that first home game, how much of a benefit could that be for you, potentially?
“I think it’d be a big, huge benefit, not just for me, but the team. Coming back home with a chance…right now, we’re oh-and-oh, so we’ve got to think positive and be 2-0. Coming back home against Carolina and getting a big victory, then having a Thursday night game against a rival at home. That’d be very huge, so I think it’ll be beneficial for all of us.”
Do you think you have enough time right now between now and week one to get all the chemistry you can with your pass-catchers, your running backs, the new O-line in front of you. How do you feel about that challenge, especially knowing you’re not going to play in the preseason game on Thursday?
“Yeah, I think we’ve just got to spend as much time as we possibly can. We’ve got about three weeks, so as much time in the film room, on the field, even off the field building that chemistry, that relationship, that bond, hanging out at the house, hanging out at restaurants, going out to different spots and just building as much chemistry and bond and relationship that we can, to make sure when we step on the field that we know each other in and out. Just trying to maximize the time we do have is definitely important.”
Going back to on the field, Saturday’s performance, you go back to Chicago, you played solid there. Is there a certain frustration that you had that you had this good first performance and then not being able to stack another quality performance on top of it? How much frustration is there as well as not being able to build off of what you did in Chicago?
“I wouldn’t say necessarily frustration. I think that’s what the preseason is for, that’s what practice is for: it’s building. We’re playing different guys, different styles of defenses, different times in the game. So, I watch the tape and I grow from it. I don’t think it’s a frustration thing, I think it’s an opportunity for us to get better as a whole. Even taking Shedeur’s (Sanders) performance and watching that tape and seeing what I can learn from that. I think all of us, as a whole being in that QB room, it’s just something that is very important in how we can grow from each other and be able to learn from the good and the bad. That’s part of this game. It’s hard playing in the NFL, especially quarterback, so it’s going to be like this a lot of times. If you can stay consistent as much as possible and learn from other people, it can definitely go a long way.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***