The Cleveland Browns will hit the road to square off against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars for the season opener on Sunday. There's been a lot of buzz around the Browns' young playmakers, but the fan base didn't really love Todd Monken's quarterback choice.
However, the fact that Deshaun Watson was named a captain for the first game of the season shows that it's not just Monken who's pulling for him. For better or worse, guys in the locker room also seem to believe in the veteran quarterback.
Notably, that includes KC Concepcion. When asked about the season opener, the rookie first-round pick gushed about his ever-growing rapport with his new quarterback. He sounded eager to get on the field with Watson in a real game setting.
“Our timing is great,” Concepcion said during a press conference on Monday. “I feel like our timing and relationship has grown so much. I can’t wait to finally put it on display for the whole world to see.”
The Browns' young playmakers deserve a chance even if Deshaun Watson hasn't earned fans' trust
It's not as if Concepcion would have said anything different, but this might be more than just empty words. Similar to Monken, maybe Concepcion does think Watson gives the team a chance to win.
Whatever the case, Concepcion is the type of dynamic playmaker who can make his quarterback look better.
All the talk about drops and mental miscues has gone silent. Concepcion was chosen as the camp's most outstanding rookie, and he only needed a handful of snaps to introduce himself to the NFL world during the preseason.
There are legitimate reasons to be skeptical about the Browns' offense with Watson at the helm, but what if things are better than expected?
What if the new-look offensive line holds up and gives Watson just enough time to do his thing? Granted, he'll probably never be the same star he was in Houston, and asking him to be a mobile threat might also be off the table coming off a pair of Achilles surgeries.
But if the locker room believes in Watson, maybe the fan base should, too, at least for now.
Watson has a Herculean task ahead of him if he wants to reverse the negativity surrounding his Browns tenure. But even if he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, especially after his now-famous preseason rant, the young players do.
Granted, this isn't the outcome most fans hoped for, but Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and the Browns' young playmakers deserve fans' support. Even if rooting for them is also indirectly rooting for a persona non grata, anything can happen on the gridiron.
Maybe it's time to take a more optimistic approach.
Add us as a preferred source on Google