Deshaun Watson had a familiar face watching him at Cleveland Browns OTAs as the quarterback battle continues to take shape.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was in attendance this week, giving Watson a visit from one of the most important figures in his football career. Swinney coached Watson at Clemson, where the pair helped deliver a national championship with a win over Alabama after the 2016 season.
Swinney has been a vocal supporter of Watson, in particular when he made a bold statement when discussing his QB’s future ahead of the draft in 2017.
“If they pass on Deshaun Watson, they’re passing on Michael Jordan,” Swinney said at the time.
Deshaun Watson Has Been Bad in Cleveland
For a while, Swinney’s prediction looked like it was relatively on track. Watson became a three-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans and developed into one of the NFL’s most dynamic quarterbacks. His 2020 season remains the best of his career, with Watson throwing for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Things have not gone nearly as smoothly in Cleveland. The Browns sent three first-round picks and more to Houston for Watson in 2022, then gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract despite his off-field troubles.
Since then, his tenure has been defined by suspension, injuries and uneven play. Watson missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, had his 2023 season cut short by a shoulder injury and later suffered a torn Achilles in 2024. He missed all of last season after a setback in his recovery.
Now, Watson is back on the field and trying to reclaim the job under first-year Browns coach Todd Monken.
Todd Monken Open to Meeting With Deion Sanders
Watson is not the only Browns quarterback with a well-known college coach in his corner. Monken said this week that he is open to meeting with Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who coached Shedeur Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado. He also happens to be Shedeur’s father.
“First of all, I can’t wait,” Monken said. “I, first of all, got a lot of respect for Coach Sanders, obviously as a player, but also what he’s done as a coach and obviously, he’s done a great job with Shedeur as a father. I’m open anytime he wants to meet.”
Monken even joked that Sanders had been expected to come by earlier but had a commercial conflict.
“So, if he just lets me know where the next commercial shoot is, I’ll be there,” Monken said. “I’ll show up. I really am looking forward to it.”
Sanders said last month he wanted to meet with Monken to talk about Shedeur “as a coach, not as a dad.”
Shedeur has made a strong impression on Monken since the coach arrived in Cleveland. Monken said Sanders has done nothing but work and compete, and he pointed to the young quarterback’s growth during OTAs.
“I got a ton of respect for him, and I got a ton of respect for Shedeur because all he’s done since I’ve been here is work,” Monken said.
The Browns still appear to be a long way from naming a starting quarterback. Monken has rotated Watson and Sanders through first-team work during OTAs and said both have done enough to stay firmly in the mix.
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