Cleveland Browns: 4 takeaways from first days of 2022 training camp
By Randy Gurzi
No. 2: Deshaun Watson showing early rapport with WRs
Adding Deshaun Watson this offseason was definitely a controversial move for the Browns due to his off-field issues. However, on the field, it’s easy to see why they wanted to bring him to Cleveland.
Watson is a cerebral quarterback who led the NFL in passing during his last season played, which was in 2020. While he has yet to play in live game action with his new team, he’s been working hard at getting acclimated.
Not only did he have plenty of time in minicamps but he also reported early to training camp, showing up when the rookies were scheduled to attend. Now that the veterans have joined him, he’s getting on the same page with them, and the early results have been promising.
Want your voice heard? Join the Dawg Pound Daily team!
Anthony Poisal of the Cleveland Browns official website detailed how Watson was able to connect on a couple of deep passes to Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones — calling those threw the “big plays” from Thursday.
"“On the first of a few plays the full offensive unit simulated toward the end of practice, Watson hit Cooper on a pretty deep ball. A couple plays later, Watson delivered a similar deep ball to Peoples-Jones. Those were the extent of the ‘big plays’ from Thursday, but it’s safe to assume the Browns will be running plenty of those passes between those players throughout camp.”"
The passing attack in Cleveland was a disappointment a season ago but with a new quarterback and No. 1 receiver, there’s a lot of excitement and hope for what they can do in 2022. Seeing them start to connect early is a positive sign.