Deshaun Watson addressed the media on Wednesday during mandatory minicamp and offered a candid look at how he has changed as a person through everything he has experienced over the past several years. The Cleveland Browns quarterback is not the same man who arrived in Cleveland in 2022, and he wants people to understand that the transformation goes deeper than just his physical recovery.
“I think the biggest thing is, you know, just kind of an introvert now. So I don’t really get into all that stuff and always like… I used to be a social person back in the day, kinda more open, but now it’s watching my surroundings and my moves and just focus on things that I need to focus on. And that’s what I got love for,” Watson said.
Deshaun Watson says he has changed into an “introvert.” He also says he is 100 percent healthy for the first time since injuring his shoulder in the third game of the #Browns 2023 season. He is in a battle with Shedeur Sanders to be the starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/wKRDHQaHLl
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) June 10, 2026
Watson says he is 100 percent healthy for the first time since injuring his shoulder in the third game of the 2023 Browns season. The shoulder injury that ended that year led to the Achilles injuries that wiped out virtually all of 2024 and 2025.
Watson’s fully guaranteed contract and lack of production have been considered by many to be the worst transaction in the history of sports, but Watson believes he can turn things around.
The combination of full health and a more disciplined, focused mindset is exactly the version of Watson that Cleveland has never actually seen on a football field in a Browns uniform. His career numbers when healthy speak for themselves, including 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in his best Houston season. If that player is genuinely back and operating with the kind of mental clarity Watson is describing, the quarterback competition just got significantly more interesting heading into training camp.
Todd Monken still cannot name a starter. Now Browns fans understand a little better why.
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Shedeur Sanders Was Not Happy With Browns Reporter’s Question