Ken Dorsey: Deshaun Watson Will Make Exceptional Plays That No One Else Can Make

Just like last year, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson remains a mystery going into the 2024 season.

After season-ending shoulder surgery last year, will he return to his 2020 level of performance? Or will he struggle with a revamped attacking scheme?

New offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said during his press conference on Thursday that he thinks Watson is looking forward to getting back to playing.

“I think he’s a competitor, he wants to be out there with his guys and play, and he’s looked like himself in practice from what I’ve seen on tape from him in the past, you know?” Dorsey said. “So, I think he’s just going to continue to progress and get back into that rhythm a little bit and I’m excited to see him out there and excited to see him fly around and be himself, you know?

“And that’s all we want from him. We just want him to go out there, be himself. Nothing more, nothing less. Go out there and make good decisions. Everything else will come naturally.”

Dorsey added that Watson is “extremely hungry” and “has been great for me in terms of just taking the coaching” he’s provided there. Part of that has to do with balancing when you need to extend a play by potentially putting yourself in harm’s way and just moving on when a play could be dead.

“(H)e’s going to make some exceptional plays for us that no one else in this league can make and he’s going to be able to do that for us,” Dorsey said. “When you balance that out, there’s a time to throw it away and move on to the next down, you know? So, there’s definitely that balance that you have to find with guys because you don’t want to lose that aspect of what makes them special in their own way. And I think the great thing about Deshaun is he can do that outside of this normal system, and then he can go back and make a progression and rip it to an outlet or a third progression on the read, just as equal.

“I think it’s just a matter of finding a balance between these guys and making sure you don’t handcuff them in too many ways.”

Over the past two seasons with Cleveland, Watson completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,217 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games.