Deshaun Watson hyped for the 2023 season

When the Cleveland Browns surrendered three first-round picks to bring in Deshaun Watson, they clearly had big goals in mind. Watson feels the same way as he said last year that he has his eyes on a Super Bowl appearance, even though he was struggling in his six starts.

Watson, who was suspended for 11 games in 2022 made his first start in Week 13 against his former team — the Houston Texans. Cleveland won that game as well as two others but finished just 3-3 with him under center.

Now without the threat of a suspension lingering over his head, Watson is ready to turn the page this year. In fact, he spoke with reporters recently and said he feels the difference is "night and day" from where he was in 2022.

"Last year, it was just a whirlwind, but it was a good learning lesson for myself and for me to be able to grow. Coming in this year, I'm ahead of the game from where I was previously."

- Watson, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com

It's understandable that it felt like a whirlwind for Watson. He spent all of the 2021 season sidelined and then sat for 11 more games due to his off-field issues. Then, he was suddenly thrown into the mix — and took over an offense that had been tailored to fit Jacoby Brissett who started the first 11 games.

Watson had some expected rust after missing 700 days but the offense around him also had some growing pains upon his return to the field.

This year, things should be different with him as the starter from day one. On top of that, head coach Kevin Stefanski has been open about his desire to change the offensive game plan to fit around Watson. General manager Andrew Berry has also been hard at work, adding Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin, and Jordan Akins to the roster as well.

Looking ahead, there's plenty of reason to be excited and it's hard not to see why Watson is hopeful.