With the Cleveland Browns finally starting their 2024 regular season today against the Dallas Cowboys, all eyes will be on quarterback Deshaun Watson as he attempts to prove his doubters are wrong.
According to analyst Matt Fontana, it’s a mental challenge unlike anything he’s faced in his amateur or professional career.
Fontana believes that Watson – who won a national championship at Clemson – is entering a new phase of his career as he’s attempting to climb the mountain yet again.
The “Matt Fontana Show” podcast shared on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – a video of the titular host discussing what he believes is the “biggest uphill battle in his career.”
“This has got to be the lowest point of Watson’s career, and I’m going to need him to step up, brush himself off, strap up, and get out there,” Fontana said.
The mental hurdles Deshaun Watson will have to overcome this season are more apparent than ever. #Browns
"This has got to be the lowest point of Watson's career. I'm going to need him to step up, brush himself off and get out there." –@MattFontana83 pic.twitter.com/GFhwphpbKW
— Matt Fontana Show (@MattFontanaShow) September 5, 2024
Fontana said he believes that this moment in Watson’s career is even lower than when he was suspended by the league during the 2021 season and the majority of the 2022 campaign.
The analyst explained that as he progressed through the prep and college ranks, Watson faced little adversity.
That initial climb includes his time in Houston as he earned three Pro Bowl appearances with his elite level of play, Fontana surmised.
What makes this period more difficult is that Watson was playing well when he suffered his shoulder injury last season, and his detractors believe the progress he made last year is not sustainable for Cleveland in 2024.
NEXT: Josh Cribbs Believes 1 Player Has Something To Prove This Season
