BEREA — Deshaun Watson isn’t trying to re-create the past. He’s trying not to focus on the future. The present is too precious.
“That’s one thing you got to control,” the Browns quarterback said Wednesday of his emotions. “I’m super excited. I’m super happy. I’m super blessed for the opportunity that this organization gave me and I just want to be able to capitalize on it.
“So really right now I’m just present in this moment, talking with you guys, getting ready for practice and just letting the days come to me. I don’t want to rush it and I don’t want to try to drag it on. Just enjoy each moment because I know how fast it can be taken away.”
Watson, who will turn 31 on Monday, will start the opener Sunday in Jacksonville. It’ll be his first regular-season action since his Achilles tendon tore Oct. 20, 2024, against the Bengals — a span of 693 days.
He won a close offseason and preseason competition with Shedeur Sanders despite criticizing the fans for booing him during a preseason game against the Bills. New coach Todd Monken trusts Watson to run the operation, especially on the road, but he may not have long to prove he’s the right man for the job. The home opener is Sept. 27 against the Panthers, and the angry fans would be frothing if Watson were to struggle against the Jaguars and Buccaneers in the first two weeks and keep the job.
While that’s the pessimistic view of the future, Watson also wants to avoid the optimistic one in which he resurrects a career that’s cratered in four years with the Browns due to a suspension, a string of injuries and inconsistent play.
“If I try to look ahead and I get distracted or not focusing on what I need to do now, then who knows what the future might hold,” Watson said. “So all I can do is control these moments now, these opportunities I have now.
“And I want to be just like Todd Monken said, he’s 60, he feels like this is his shot. So me being on my last year of my deal and being Year 10, I feel like this is my opportunity to be able to go and showcase that I can still play in this league and I want to continue to play in this league.”
Watson’s career, at least with the Browns, appeared over when the Achilles ruptured for a second time during the recovery process. Despite missing all of last season, he was an important part of the quarterback room and even practiced for a few weeks late in the year.
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With one year and $46 million guaranteed left on his $230 million contract, the Browns gave him the chance to reclaim the starting job this season. He’s started only 19 games since the blockbuster trade brought him in March 2022, going 9-10 with a 61.2 completion percentage, 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 80.7 passer rating.
“He has really embraced what we do offensively,” Monken said. “For him it’s been a breath of fresh air, new life, new opportunity. Now we’ve all got to take advantage of it, same with myself. So I’m excited for him.”
Tight end Blake Whiteheart has watched Watson work his way back into the lineup.
“The way he does his business in here, he does everything the right way,” Whiteheart told The Chronicle-Telegram. “He carries himself well in here. He’s confident. I never hear him complain about anything. He’s always encouraging everyone around him.
“So I’m just excited for him to be able to play. It’s been a long journey for him in every which direction, and I just think it’s cool that he has the opportunity to go out there and show his ability.”
Watson, who’s started 72 games, can take comfort in his experience, especially vs. the Jaguars. He’s 7-0 in eight games — the only game in his career he didn’t start was a Week 1 loss to the Jaguars as a rookie when he came off the bench — completing 64 percent for 1,661 yards with nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 91.3 passer rating.
“That was one of our big rival teams, being in that same division when I played for Houston,” he said. “So it was mandatory to try to get those games. They were very close, intense games and we found ways to win.
“This is a different team. This is 2026, so I’m not going into this game looking at the 7-0 record at all.”
Right tackle Tytus Howard played with Watson in Houston in 2019-20 and knows what he looks like at his best. Watson led the league in passing in 2020, and Howard said he’s seen the same confidence.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a guy who’s battled adversity and he’s hit it head-on and he’s just working every day to get better,” he said. “And I’ve seen him continuously grow all camp. And so I’m looking forward to seeing what he do the first game.”
Since being named the starter, Watson has gone from splitting the first-team repetitions to getting them all, focusing on improving the timing with the receivers.
“We’ve been practicing every day just developing that chemistry. So obviously it’s really nice,” second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr. said. “It’s crazy to think about, I used to actually watch him on TV when I was younger and now I’m here. So it’s pretty dope.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson working on deep ball. pic.twitter.com/5TL8ZvFcgb
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 9, 2026
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As he keeps his focus narrow, Watson said he’s not fretting over his emotional response after the Bills game to the fans’ booing.
“It’s about what we can do now,” he said. “So it’s not about what we worry about in the past. We’re not worried about ’24, we’re not worrying about last year and me not playing. We’re not worried about the preseason. Right now we got to focus on Jacksonville.”
His comeback is just about complete, but he wasn’t ready to rank it among his career accomplishments.
“It’s definitely good,” he said. “It’s a blessing. It’s a great opportunity to have this chance this year and I want to take full advantage of it.”
