Deshaun Watson enters yet another season in which the expectations for him are unknown.
Some might rightfully refer to them as low, even after Watson led the Browns to a 5-1 record as a starter last season. In a league in which quarterback play often sets a team's trajectory and inevitably defines their season, such uncertainty has left many believing the Browns won't repeat their run to the playoffs in 2024.
"It's fine with us. It's perfect," Watson said of lower expectations on Wednesday. "We're just going to go under the radar and work. That's all we can do."
Watson arrived in Cleveland as the team's hopeful answer for its long-running inconsistency under center. Since then, he's played a total of 12 games over two seasons due to injury and suspension, failing to establish the stability the Browns hoped to receive when they acquired him via trade with Houston in 2022.
Watson's starting record as a quarterback in 2023 is somewhat misleading, too: In three of his wins, the Browns' defense allowed a combined total of just six points. In another win, Watson exited early due to injury. He truly won just one of those games primarily on his own merit, a 33-31 comeback victory in Baltimore -- which was also Watson's final start of 2023.
The lasting image of Watson in 2023 was that performance, which may have provided Browns fans with fool's gold-quality hope.
Watson, meanwhile, isn't spending any time reflecting on last year.
"Honestly, man, I don't even look at those six starts. It's a new year, it's a new season," Watson said. "... You've got to focus on Week 1. In this system and this league, (if) you're focusing on last year, you're going to get left behind."
Much of Cleveland's 2024 campaign will rest on Watson's shoulders, one of which is returning from a season-ending glenoid fracture. There's no telling whether he'll be able to deliver and make good on the massive investment the Browns made on him in 2022.
If you asked Watson whether he's up for the challenge, he'd answer affirmatively, just as he did when asked if he believes he can still be an elite passer.
"Of course," he said. "No doubt."
The time is now for Watson to do so, though. Otherwise, Cleveland might be in the market for a signal-caller in 2025. Such a pursuit begins with the Browns' Week 1 date with Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
