Deshaun Watson is enthusiastic about Jameis Winston’s arrival, hinting at a promising synergy in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback group for the forthcoming season.
The two have a preexisting relationship, and Watson is excited to have Winston by his side. Winston and Watson recently met up in Los Angeles, and it sounds like the Browns quarterbacks had a good time.
“It was amazing,” Watson said on Thursday, April 4, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Jameis is a great guy, a great person, a better person than whatever he does outside of just being himself. The football is just secondary. But being around him, his fellowship, his leadership, his command of just being very positive.”
The Browns appeared to be leaning towards bringing Joe Flacco back after his successful stint as a fill-in for Watson last season. Watson sounds pleased that the Browns decided to instead go with Winston and thinks he’ll be a great presence on the roster.
“Him being the former No. 1 pick, being around so many great quarterbacks, I just need that energy and want that energy around me,” Watson said. “So once we figured out (Browns GM Andrew Berry) signed him, I got his number and I wanted to just ask him questions. He came out to L.A. and visited me, and we had a great time.”
Jameis Winston Wants to Flourish With Deshaun Watson
Winston, 30, has plans to be a starter again. However, he understands his mission in Cleveland and is focused on building on his relationship with Watson.
“The most important thing, I believe, is the relationship between me and Deshaun is in a place where it will continue to grow and flourish. And I just admire him as a person and definitely as a football player,” Winston said during his introductory press conference on March 20. “I look forward to allowing him to lean on me for anything that he needs and also encouraging him and providing him with different resources that he probably hasn’t gotten for people that have been in the same room as him … just serving him and this team, the best way that I can.”
Winston has passed for 22,104 yards, 141 touchdowns and 99 interceptions in his career. He has a 34-46 record as a starter and made the Pro Bowl in 2015 as a rookie. He spent the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, mostly as a backup, starting 10 games over that span.
Browns Have Loaded QB Room Behind Deshaun Watson
Winston was not the only new addition to the Browns’ quarterback room. Cleveland also added former Baltimore Ravens passer Tyler Huntley. He’s another quarterback who brings some starting experience to the table and is a dangerous dual-threat.
Browns GM Andrew Berry admitted that he was surprised Huntley was available and willing to come to Cleveland.
“We’ve always had four quarterbacks,” Berry said. “We have two quarterbacks coming off season-ending injuries. Tyler was just us being flexible, adaptable to an opportunity that quite honestly we didn’t expect in the spring.”
Second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will also be in the mix for the Browns. However, Thompson-Robinson is coming off a hip injury that ended his season and Cleveland won’t rush him into action. Offseason workouts, which begin on April 15, could involve a lot of passes being thrown from Winston and Huntley.
