More than a year late, following a suspension and amid suspicions about his game, Deshaun Watson showed up. For the first time in Cleveland, he delivered. It's taken decades, but the Browns might have their elusive franchise quarterback.
Deshaun Watson doesn't look elite, composed or anything close to resembling a $230 million quarterback or franchise savior at the moment. Two games into his first full season with the Browns, there remain major questions about whether Watson can be the same player who led the NFL in passing three years ago for Houston or make Cleveland a Super Bowl contender.
The Browns could be missing a top defensive player when they open against one of the NFL's most potent offenses. Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward remained in concussion protocol and missed practice Monday, putting his availability for Sunday's season opener against quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in question. Ward has been sidelined since suffering a head injury — the fourth reported concussion of his NFL career — in Cleveland's exhibition game at Kansas City on Aug. 25.