QB Deshaun Watson eager to start again for Browns after injury - ESPN

BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said Wednesday it is «very important» to get an opportunity to start again after a pair of Achilles surgeries that have sidelined him since October 2024.

Watson spoke to local reporters after Cleveland's second day of mandatory minicamp, marking his first comments since he ruptured his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024.

«I think each and every person that walks into the locker room should have that mindset that you want to start in this league,» Watson said. «That's why we show up each and every day, to be able to go out there and be able to perform on Sundays or whatever that day is. So yeah, it's definitely the main focus of why I work hard to be able to come back.»

Watson, 30, is now healthy after he underwent a second surgery in January 2025 to repair another rupture of his Achilles that ultimately kept him out of the 2025 season. Entering the fifth and final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract, Watson is competing with second-year player Shedeur Sanders to be the Browns' starting quarterback.

Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, is trying to rewrite a disappointing tenure in Cleveland that has been beset by injuries and poor play. Since the Browns traded three first-round picks to Houston for him in March 2022, Watson has been limited to just 19 games because of suspension and injuries. Since making his debut in Cleveland, Watson has registered a 33.1 QBR, which would rank last among qualifying passers if he played enough to qualify.

After a pair of season-ending surgeries — he also underwent shoulder surgery in November 2023 — Watson said he is «fully healthy» and hasn't been 100% since first injuring his shoulder in