This former NFL quarterback and current analyst still has plenty of faith in Deshaun Watson.
NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms — a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons — believes Watson will “be back in the top quarterbacks in football conversation” in 2023.
At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Simms spoke highly of the former Clemson and current Cleveland Browns quarterback, who had a 700-day layoff from his last NFL game, before returning to the field last season after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
“It’s insane. I mean, I think the world of Deshaun Watson as the football player,” Simms said in an interview with Nathan Zegura. “I was trying to tell people that all year long before he got in there, like there’s no way – and if he could, I would have been like ‘oh my God’ – there’s no way he can come in there and just like, ‘Hey, it’s like riding a bike and I’m just gonna be the same guy I was before.’ There’s nothing that you can do to get used to playing in the NFL. That’s why I’m always a proponent of the young guy, get him in there, get used to playing. You guys watch practice, it’s a controlled environment. It’s different when there’s 80,000 fans yelling and the guy across from you can actually rip your head off now, and it’s like, ‘Woah, this is a different game than it was in practice.’
“So, I expected some of those bumps in the road or whatever else. But we saw some good signs there, and I think Deshaun Watson’s going to be back in the top quarterbacks in football conversation this year. To add to that, being a backup – I got thrown in as a backup a few times where OK, now the starter got hurt and it’s Week 4 or it’s Week 8, and I was like, ‘Holy crap, I feel like I haven’t played football before in my life.’ So, I can’t even imagine 700 days.”
A three-time Pro Bowler who was traded to the Browns last offseason, Watson was unsurprisingly rusty upon his return to action last season, throwing for just two touchdowns with three interceptions over his first four games back. But he finished the season with five touchdown passes and two interceptions over the final two games.
Overall, Watson completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdown passes with five picks in six games, while also rushing for 175 yards and another score on 36 carries. Down the stretch, he looked sharper with his throws and ball placement, and seemed more comfortable in the pocket as well.
“He’s a special player. He really is,” Simms said. “To me, it’s more of just the comfort of how he looked in the pocket, the way the ball started to come off of his hand. First game or two, a little wobbly. I’d say you’re not sure of yourself, your body’s not in the right position, you’re thinking a lot because you’re like, ‘Oh wait what’s this play, I’m still getting used to this offense or how to read this,’ all of those type of things. But I think it’s one, the quality of the football. Two, the comfort from him. Three, started to see like oh man, he’s feeling comfortable. He took five steps, one hitch, boom. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh wait I’m not sure if he’s open, let me pat it one more time.’ There was none of that going on. It started to look like just the natural Deshaun Watson play.”
You can check out more of Simms’ interview with Zegura on Watson and the Browns offense below:
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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