PFF Ranks Quarterbacks, See Where Deshaun Watson Lands
So much of the 2023 season for the Cleveland Browns depends on how Deshaun Watson performs. Between the long layoff he had as well as six underwhelming games, predictions for Watson in 2023 run the gamut.
It's one thing to practice and prepare to play football, which is what Watson was able to do most of last season. As confident as he may feel in what he's doing, it's difficult to truly know until it counts and the opponent can hit him. The six games he played had some good moments, but were far below the standard Watson set with the Houston Texans.
Those six games provided Watson the information he needed to figure out where he was prepared after the layoff and what needed significant work. The speed of the game was an element that will require experience to get back, but things like his footwork are areas he can improve.
As Sam Monson of PFF pointed out in his quarterback rankings, no one really knows what Watson is going to do. Monson ranked Watson 13th with what amounted to be a shrug.
Maybe the hardest player to rank on the list, Watson has one of the widest ranges of outcomes in the NFL. He finished 2022 with just a 55.3 overall PFF grade after returning from suspension and didn’t noticeably improve as one does if they are just shaking off the rust. In his last full season with Houston (2020), he earned a 92.5 PFF grade and was one of the best quarterbacks in the game. I have no earthly idea how good Watson will be in 2023, and neither does anybody else.
Beyond expecting Watson to bounce back to some extent because he didn't simply forget how to play football, the reasons to feel good about what he can achieve are based in the team the Browns have put in place around him.
A strong offensive line, arguably the best pure runner in the league in Nick Chubb as well as litany of receiving options including Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore should reduce the amount of heavy lifting Watson needs to do. Nevertheless, the Browns will need Watson to at least resemble the player he can be at the start of the season to stay in the playoff race with the hope that by the end of the season, be plays like the franchise quarterback they need him to be if they hope to win a Super Bowl.
