Deshaun Watson Is Facing the Harsh Reality of His Comeback Attempt With Browns

The Cleveland Browns will now officially drag out their quarterback competition into the summer when training camp arrives, and maybe even all the way into the preseason.

That in itself should be a source of disappointment for Deshaun Watson, a 30-year old passer with three Pro Bowl nods under his belt, given that he hasn’t been able to separate himself during offseason workouts from Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round second-year quarterback who managed to complete just 56.6 percent of his passes and threw seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions during his rookie campaign.

However, Watson is facing another harsh reality in Cleveland: a large chunk of the team’s fanbase does not want to see him as the starting quarterback.

It’s not just that Watson cost the Browns a total of six draft picks, including three consecutive first-rounders, or that the team immediately committed $230 million over the next five years in 2022, with those cap charges now extending all the way through 2030 through restructures.

And it’s not just that Watson has barely managed a mediocre 9-10 record over four seasons with the club, where he has missed extensive time either suspended or injured.

And it’s not just that the fans were led to believe that the team had already made peace with one of the worst trades in the history of the league, when owner Jimmy Haslam labeled Watson “a big swing and a miss,” back in 2025, giving the impression they were ready to learn from the mistake and move on, which apparently they aren’t doing.

It’s a combination of all of that, along with the fact that allowing Watson to compete for the starting gig with Sanders seems more like an obstacle than a path towards improvement for the 24-year old Colorado product.

In essence, it feels like the same old Browns, inexplicably holding on to being the same old Browns.

Deshaun Watson faces some extra pressure in Cleveland

Watson acknowledged on Wednesday -- on a day where he was the only Browns’ passer who threw an interception at minicamp -- that most of it is out of his control.

Deshaun Watson was asked about the apprehension some Browns fans might have about him starting:

"At the end of the day, I can't control what people support."

On the fans cheering when he was injured:

"I had emotions at the time but you grow." pic.twitter.com/ALM6JKQsV9
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) June 10, 2026

“Well, you know at the end of the day I can’t control what people support, and I think that’s their own opinions.

“Outside of that, I can’t focus on the outside, what they’re saying. I have no control over that.

“I think that all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate and I what I represent as an individual.

Watson rebounded nicely on the third day of minicamp with a two-touchdown, no interception performance.

Things have changed dramatically since Watson first arrived in Berea, where at least a portion of the reluctant fanbase was willing to give him a chance after all his legal troubles in Houston. Now, he’s less popular than ever among Browns’ fans.

Nonetheless, Watson states that at a personal level, he’s never been in a better spot since the Browns finalized the deal to bring him onboard.

“I’m in a way better place, and I’ve matured, and I’m in a great position

“I think the biggest thing, I’m an introvert now. I don’t really get into the outside stuff like I used to. I used to be a social person and kind of more open. But now I’m kind of watching my surroundings and my moves. And focus on the things that I’ve got to focus on, and that’s the ones that I really got love for and people that support me.”

If Watson is ever going to win over the Browns’ fanbase, one that has literally been put through everything over the years when it comes to the quarterback position, it all starts with winning games. And in order to do that, he must win a starting job where he was supposedly favored coming in.

That hasn’t happened yet.

It’s safe to say, Watson isn’t starting off his latest comeback tour on the right foot.

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