Juan Thornhill won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes before cashing in with the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Now, he's already gassing up his new quarterback.
Deshaun Watson and the Browns have high expectations heading into this season. Yet, Watson hasn't played much competitive football the past few years, and despite what his contract might suggest, there are bound to be some growing pains. Watson did not look productive in just six games last year after his suspension, leading the Browns to a 3-3 record with a 7;5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The last time Watson has played anything close to a full slate of games is 2020, when he made the Pro Bowl. He still has that talent in him, surely, but the early training camp reviews haven't been positive. With that in mind, forgive me for being a little callous at suggestions he's anything close to the player Patrick Mahomes is.
Hard pass. In 2020, Mahomes and Watson were arguably on the same tier, but the latter took himself off the NFL's quarterback Mount Rushmore when he missed the better part of two seasons, and was accused of sexual assault.
Former Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill compares Patrick Mahomes to Deshaun Watson
Watson is expected to start against the Chiefs in the Browns final preseason game, where he will play a drive or two before being removed for Josh Dobbs and others. Watson believes Cleveland has made great strides in camp, and facing off against the Eagles in joint practices has only helped matters.
"We keep adding on and taking a step forward every day," Watson said. "We know we are not all the way there yet, and we shouldn't be. It's small details in the offense we would like to work on. Especially going against a good Philadelphia defense."
Watson is not Mahomes. He only needs to be himself. Considering what the Browns are used to at QB, that'll be more than enough.
