After reports indicated that Cleveland’s scandalized starting quarterback is mentoring the young stars on the team, sports fans panicked and shared concern that his troublesome characteristics may rub off on him.
Deshaun Watson is set to miss most of, if not all of (depending on the healing process), the 2025 NFL season due to a re-aggravated Achilles injury.
He initially missed over half of the season last year from that tear, but hurt himself while he was healing – serving as a further setback.
It’s left a vacuum in the starting role that’s expected to be filled – initially – by Joe Flacco. However, the backup roles will be competitive all offseason.
While Kenny Pickett is believed to have the second-string job all but wrapped up, it’s a battle of rookies for the third spot featuring third-rounder and Oregon product Dillon Gabriel against fifth-rounder and Colorado prospect Shedeur Sanders.
So, with Sanders presenting plenty of future promise for the Browns, Watson has reportedly taken the son of Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders ‘under his wing’, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Injured Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is mentoring the team’s passers
Specifically, reports say he’s taken rookie Shedeur Sanders ‘under his wing’
Fans were worried about Watson’s troubles affecting Sanders (12) and rookie Dillon Gabriel (L)
Considering previous accusations levied against the 29-year-old quarterback, some have viewed that as a poor character for the young Sanders to be associating with.
Barstool Sports podcaster Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz tweeted, ‘Uhhhh uh oh,’ implying a poor decision by the rookie.
Content creator and Cleveland sports fan Gabb Goudy posted, ‘yeah no thanks’.
Many others posted various GIFs and videos of negative reactions – all suggesting it’s a bad idea to have been accused (but not convicted) of sexual assault by over 20 massage therapists in Houston.
Watson’s offering support to all four quarterbacks, who would likely all be behind him on the depth chart if healthy, but it’s his work with the rookies which is especially notable.
‘Watson has been an awesome teammate inside the quarterback room and meeting rooms, and has been a great cheerleader for the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job,’ Cabot reported Sunday, citing sources.
Cabot added: ‘He’s been especially helpful to the rookies in Gabriel and Sanders, who are working overtime to remain in the starting mix.’
As for Sanders, Cabot says that Watson is helping him ‘come up the learning curve quickly, and it’s been working.’ She also points out that Watson ‘is only too happy to repay the favor’ by mentoring Deion’s son after the former cornerback supported the injured Cleveland quarterback after suffering his injury in October 2024.
Watson tore his Achilles tendon in October 2024 and re-aggravated his injury after surgery
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is set to be the Week 1 starter for Cleveland this season
Watson’s future with the Browns is up in the air after he re-structured his contract following his January surgery.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam openly derided his team’s move to trade for the former Houston Texans quarterback – dubbing his $230m contract a ‘big swing and miss’.
But the future for the franchise could lie in either of the quarterbacks they drafted. Sanders, who was projected to be a top-five selection, slid all the way to the fifth round this year. Two rounds prior, the Browns shockingly selected Gabriel.
