According to a Cleveland Browns defensive back, Deshaun Watson is back to looking like his old self ahead of his first full season with the team.

Browns cornerback Greg Newsome recently raved about what he’s seen this offseason from Watson, the former Clemson star and three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who led the NFL in passing yards during his last full season in 2020.

“Oh, it’s crazy. Like, everything’s in stride,” Newsome said during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland. “He’s one of the best, and he’s showing it right now.”

When he was traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns in March 2022, Watson received a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million. He made his long-awaited return to the field last December after sitting out the entire 2021 season and then serving an 11-game suspension to begin 2022 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

When Watson made his Browns debut against the Texans on Dec. 4 of last year, it marked his first game in exactly 700 days since Jan. 3, 2021. And the lengthy layoff was evident as Watson had to shake off rust last season, but he also showed flashes of being the type of player he was in Houston.

Overall, across six games with the Browns, Watson completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdown passes with five interceptions.

Fast forward to the present, and Newsome says the excitement surrounding Watson right now is similar to the way it was when the Browns first acquired him last offseason.

“I feel like the aura in the locker room is kind of how it was when we first got him. Like, I feel like it’s back to that mode,” Newsome said. “Obviously when we first got him, everyone’s so excited. But we all knew. I mean, if you know football, you haven’t played in two years, you shouldn’t expect somebody to come back and be Superman again. Like, it takes a minute to get back to that. So, I think we’re super excited for him. I mean, you can see some of the clips – he’s airing us out sometimes.”

In places like Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo with Josh Allen and Cincinnati with Joe Burrow, the leader of the team is the quarterback.

Newsome was asked if he feels like Watson can lead their team, and if Watson’s teammates want him to lead them.

“Ah, for sure. He has all the intangibles,” Newsome said. “Like I said, he can make everything single throw. And just him on and off the field, you see he takes the offense somewhere every year. Christmas, he’s getting them… So, he’s one of those guys, not just a great football player – he’s a great leader.”

Watson earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his last three full seasons (2018-20 with the Texans). Overall, in his NFL career, he has completed 67.0 percent of his passes for 15,641 yards and 111 touchdowns with 41 interceptions while rushing for 1,852 yards and 18 more scores.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class.  Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.