Browns: Deshaun Watson says give rust talk a rest, he's ready for season

CLEVELAND — The rust was real. It's been removed, according to Deshaun Watson. That would be a huge relief to anyone hoping for big things from the Browns this season. After Watson led a 12-play, 67-yard drive Friday night that was stopped at the doorstep of the end zone, he sought to put an end to the question of whether going 700 days between starts before returning Dec. 4 will still hinder his performance this season. "I'm not thinking about no rust," he said after the 17-15 preseason loss to the Commanders at Cleveland Browns Stadium. "That was last year I missed ball. I played six games last year and I had a full offseason, so I'm not thinking about no rust. I'm not using no excuses for no rust or anything like that. "I've got to be ready for this moment, and I'm going to be ready for whenever that time is called Sept. 10, here in the Dawg Pound. We all will be. All that rust and other stuff, that's left in 2022. I'm focused on 2023 and making sure I'm ready for Sept. 10." Watson had a drastic change of opinion in a couple of days. When asked Wednesday if any rust remained from the long layoff created by more than two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct and an 11-game suspension to begin last season, he said he had "no idea." "It's just really once we get out there and play, we'll see what happens and go from there," he said. His one possession apparently was enough to convince him. He completed all three passes for 12 yards and an 83.3 passer rating and rushed three times for 20 yards. "Having a full offseason and being able to lock in with the guys and run the first-team offense all the way through has definitely been a help for myself and the confidence to get ready for this season," he said. Watson's drive reached inside the 1-yard line, but third- and fourth-down handoffs lost yardage. Watson noted coach Kevin Stefanski wasn't using the full playbook in the preseason, and said the entirety of the possession was encouraging for the whole team. "We're very excited," Watson said. "I came off the field, even though we went four-and-out and they got the ball back, you can feel the energy. Everyone on defense, offense, special teams, everyone was saying 'good job' and they were excited about it and just really you can see everyone's expression. I'm super excited." Stefanski's significant alterations to the offense to fit Watson's varied skillset were on display against the Commanders. Watson handed off on a couple of options and kept the ball on a zone read while operating out of the shotgun on all but two snaps. Watson stressed during the week he wanted to show he was in command of the offense and had taken charge. "That's the plan," he said. "Everyone is giving me the keys and they are following my lead. So as far as I go, this offense go and this team go. "So I got to make sure I'm prepared each and every moment, each and every opportunity and I just got to go out there and do what I do and just be myself. And we showed a glimpse of it that first drive." Stefanski said his biggest focus with Watson heading into the game was running a clean operation with good tempo. "All that was really good," Stefanski said. "He saw the field really well, made plays with his feet." Watson's feet certainly didn't fail him. Two of the runs were scrambles, and he kept a zone read for 3 yards. "I just feel the game, let the game come to me, don't try to force any plays and that's what I did and we drove it down towards the 1 and came up short," he said. The signature play was an 8-yard scramble on third-and-4 from the Washington 18. He slipped on the wet grass, regained his footing and took off for the first down. "When I got back I kind of slipped and it just threw off my timing, so I didn't want to, especially with the weather condition, force the throw," Watson said. "So I saw an open lane and I just took it and that's just me feeling out the game and my instincts taking over and just really just trying to do whatever I can to keep the chains moving." Jacoby Brissett started the 11 games while Watson was suspended, then signed with the Commanders as a free agent. He's still close with many of the Browns, including Watson, and has a good sense for what's going on with him, especially compared to the preseason opener last year when Watson started in Jacksonville, didn't get a first down in three series and went 1-for-5 passing for 7 yards. "They are excited about how he looks compared to last year," Brissett said. "Coming out here watching him, I thought he looked really good compared to the last preseason game. Very smooth. No hiccups and stuff like that. I thought he did a good job." Contact Scott Petrak at (440) 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @scottpetrak on Twitter.