Deshaun Watson says he’s healthy, aims to reclaim Browns QB1

Deshaun Watson said Wednesday he is “fully healthy” after two Achilles surgeries and intends to compete to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. Watson spoke after the team’s mandatory minicamp in Berea, Ohio, in his first public comments since he was injured in October 2024. He is entering the fifth and final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024, then underwent a second surgery in January 2025 to repair another rupture. The injury sequence sidelined him for the 2025 season. Watson said his rehabilitation included “ups and downs,” but that his focus is now on daily preparation and earning the job when football resumes.

The Browns’ quarterback room includes second-year player Shedeur Sanders, and Watson framed the situation as an open competition. Watson said every player in the locker room should approach the season with the mindset of wanting to start, and he emphasized translating practice work into performance when games begin.

Watson’s availability has been a central issue since Cleveland acquired him in a March 2022 trade with the Houston Texans. He has appeared in 19 games for the Browns due to suspension and injuries. The figures cited in the source place his QBR in Cleveland at 33.1.

Watson also had season-ending shoulder surgery in November 2023. He said he has not felt 100% healthy since first injuring that shoulder in the team’s Week 3 game of the 2023 season, describing the past two years as a stretch that tested his patience and persistence.

Contract pressure and a quarterback competition

Watson said the opportunity to start again is “very important” as he tries to reset his Cleveland tenure. The Browns’ offseason program will carry into training camp, where the quarterback picture is expected to remain one of the team’s main storylines.

Sanders is also in the mix, giving Cleveland another high-profile option as it evaluates the position. Watson’s comments suggested he expects the competition to be decided by preparation and performance rather than reputation.

Disciplinary history and Haslam’s “swing-and-miss” remark

Watson began his Browns career serving an 11-game suspension in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. He also paid a $5 million fine, and the league and players’ union reached a settlement in August 2022 that included completion of a treatment program. Two Texas grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson a week before his trade to Cleveland, according to the source.

Watson also addressed Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s March 2025 assessment of the trade as a “big swing-and-miss.” Watson downplayed the remark, said his relationship with the Haslam family remains strong, and said his focus is on taking advantage of what he described as a new opportunity now that he has returned to full health.

The next major checkpoint will come at training camp, when Cleveland’s coaching staff is expected to sort out first-team reps and define the quarterback pecking order ahead of the season.