The play of quarterback Deshaun Watson will go a long way toward determining what kind of season the Cleveland Browns have.
Watson started last season serving an 11-game suspension for gross sexual misconduct, and while he showed flashes of his old self, he struggled to maintain any form of consistency during large swaths of play.
However, Watson enters Year 2 in Cleveland full steam ahead. And by all accounts, he has looked like his old self throughout Browns minicamp.
Speaking at the inaugural Deshaun Watson Foundation high school 7-on-7 tournament, the quarterback told Ashley Bastock of cleveland.com to expect big things from wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is also entering his second year with the team.
“Amari’s going to be good,” Watson said. “He’s a guy that’s a vet, been in the league for a while, so he knows exactly what he needs to do to be ready for the season and training camp and our chemistry is going to be tight. We’ve been hanging out. We’re just going to continue to build that chemistry as much as possible.”
Cooper caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns last season. If he and Watson can improve on those numbers, it will certainly bode well for the Browns’ chances to return to the playoffs.