How did Deshaun Watson look while throwing for Browns media?
By Randy Gurzi
![Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4692,h_2639,x_0,y_128/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/56/01hz62wn9hhfwmpc6q53.jpg)
For the second time during OTAs, the Cleveland Browns practice was open to the media. For the first time, Deshaun Watson was throwing in an open practice.
It was the first time he threw in an open session since his shoulder surgery and it was pretty much what we expected. Watson had some throws he would surely want back but for the most part, he looked solid. He was throwing with good velocity and even hit a deep shot to Elijah Moore.
#Browns Deshaun Watson throws down field to Elijah Moore pic.twitter.com/yXSbBQHB3m
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) May 30, 2024
Of course, he was throwing against air, but offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was happy with the progress he saw. Dorsey added that the throw to Moore was a sign of progress since Watson had yet to open things up since returning from his injury.
"You see him continue each day ramping it up a little bit more and more," Dorsey said via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He threw the ball down the sideline, a vertical throw today, and that’s one I hadn’t seen from him a lot. We haven’t pushed him to do it, so that was good to see. The more he grows and feels comfortable with it, the more you’ll start seeing those things get ramped up more and more."
2024 is a huge year for Deshaun Watson, Browns
Watson enters his third season with the Browns and it's time for him to start making progress as their starting quarterback. 2022 was a lost year since he was suspended for 11 games, after sitting out the entire 2021 campaign while still with the Houston Texans.
That led to a long discussion centered around his need to knock off the rust in 2023. That quickly turned to his attempt to get back to 100 percent health as he was banged up in Week 3. When Watson finally looked healthy in a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, he was lost for the year with a broken bone in his shoulder.
This means 2024 will be a pivotal year for him. The Browns decided not to restructure his contract, meaning more than $63 million of his salary will come off the books. This could aid them if they were to try and eat some of the money in his contract and move on early.
Clearly, this isn't what the team wants which is why this is such an important season for both Watson and the Browns.
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