-
Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. — As the Cleveland Browns opened training camp this weekend, general manager Andrew Berry praised Deshaun Watson, noting the quarterback is “in a really good place.”
“I think this is going to be a big year for him, professionally and personally,” Berry said. “We think he’s in great shape physically. He’s been really good on the field. And I love what he’s done off the field. So very excited about him.”
Watson was suspended 11 games last year for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault on massage therapists, as defined by the NFL. As part of a settlement between the NFL and the NFLPA, Watson also had to pay a $5 million fine and undergo a mandatory treatment program.
Watson returned to start the final six games for the Browns and finished with a QBR of 38.3, which ranked 27th in the league. Cleveland went 3-3 in those games and missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
In 2020 with the Houston Texans, Watson led the league with 4,823 passing yards. But 700 days went by between the end of that season and his debut with the Browns on Dec. 4 last year.
Watson said Sunday that he’s in a “different space” now compared with last year.
“Feel really well, feel really good, comfortable being around the guys, the locker room, the coaching staff, the organization and just the city of Cleveland,” he said. “So having an opportunity to go into the season with a full offseason, locked in, focused, it definitely feels good, and I want to continue to keep channeling and cherishing all that energy and positive energy that’s been spread around this organization.”
Berry traded for Watson in March of 2022, sending the Texans three first round picks. The Browns then signed Watson to a new five-year contract worth $230 million fully guaranteed, an NFL record. At the time, Watson faced 22 lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. Last year, two grand juries in Texas declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson. He has since settled 23 lawsuits that were filed against him; two more lawsuits remain active.
Watson admitted Sunday that the suspension changed him, though he didn’t elaborate on how or why.
“The whole situation changed me,” he said. “In a situation where I just had to lock in on myself, channel and really know who I’m surrounding myself with and just really who’s going to be there and support me even when I’m at my lowest point and the last few years were definitely my lowest point in my life. But that’s part of life. I just grow from it, I learn from it. I continue to move forward and push forward and continue to show my real character, my real personality and who I am.”
The Browns are conducting their first eight training camp practices at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The team held a short walk-through on Saturday after arriving. Later in the day, Watson addressed the team, sharing personal details from his life.
“Things that people don’t really get to hear about,” he said. “Especially last year, it’s been the media directing and narrating something else. … [my story] has been kind of overshadowed.”