The Cleveland Browns quarterback situation has settled with Deshaun Watson locked in as the Week 1 starter, and now attention is beginning to shift toward how Todd Monken plans to build the offense around him. With training camp winding down and the season opener against Jacksonville approaching, Watson explained what elements of his game he believes we have yet to see.
“There’s a lot of things that me and Monk talked personally that we haven’t showcased. We haven’t showcased my full talent and ability to run in this offense, being able to run and being able to use my athletic ability, getting outside the pocket, being able to do some other QB driven stuff. So, I’m excited to see what we can cook up getting ready for week one,” Watson said.
Before his time with the Browns, Watson built a reputation in Houston as one of the more elusive and athletic quarterbacks in football, someone capable of extending plays and picking up yardage with his legs when the pocket collapsed. Injuries understandably limited how much the coaching staff wanted to expose him to that kind of physical risk in recent seasons.
Given the well-documented concerns about the rebuilt offensive line and its ability to consistently protect the quarterback, incorporating more designed movement and run game elements for Watson could serve a dual purpose, both maximizing his unique skill set and reducing his exposure to a clean pocket that may not always be available behind a completely reshuffled front five.
Whether these expanded concepts translate into consistent success once games begin to count remains to be seen, but Watson’s comments suggest both he and Monken believe there is untapped potential still to be unlocked heading into his first season as the unquestioned starter in Cleveland.
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