![\"Cleveland](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2229734907-3-e1776852232109.jpg\")
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has not spoken with the media in over a year.<\/p>\n
Deshaun Watson was present but did not speak after the first day of voluntary minicamp.<\/p>\n
All eyes were on the Browns\u2019 quarterbacks as they got on the field for the first of three practices. Watson, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were all in attendance. Sanders and Watson took the first-team reps<\/a>, while Gabriel mostly worked with the backups.<\/p>\n After practice, Sanders and Gabriel both spoke with the assembled media<\/a>. Watson was notably unavailable to answer questions. It\u2019s been more than a year since he\u2019s done so. That didn\u2019t sit well with some.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Deshaun doesn\u2019t want to speak in front of the media or he doesn\u2019t want to speak before the fans because his feelings are hurt because of what\u2019s transpired, then ask for your release. Get out of town,\u201d Nick Wilson of 92.3 The Fan said<\/a>. \u201cIf you want to be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns<\/a>, you have to speak to the media. Shedeur is out here.\u201d<\/p>\n NFL<\/a> insider Albert Breer stressed that Watson speaking and making a good impression will be key for him moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, to some degree, it feels like that relationship between the media, the city and Deshaun has been broken a little bit. I think there\u2019s an opportunity to rebuild that now,\u201d Breer said<\/a>. \u201cNobody is expecting a lot heading into the final year of his contract. But maybe this is where he can turn his career around. I do think he can make his life easier if he starts to rebuild some of those relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Comment on Deshaun Watson<\/p>\n Despite being sidelined last season, Watson remained a steady presence in the quarterback room<\/a> during the rookie campaigns of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, offering veteran insight that carried weight given his Pro Bowl r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Now back in the mix for the starting job, the dynamic has naturally shifted \u2014 but the respect hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Both Sanders and Gabriel still lean on Watson\u2019s experience as they navigate their development.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a vet. He did a lot. He accomplished a lot in his career, obviously,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cSo, when I have questions about certain things, I ask him, \u2018what you think about this?\u2019 And I just like hearing his perspective on problems that I could have or the way how I think about things.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabriel echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cDeshaun\u2019s a great dude. Great person to learn from. And just he\u2019s got a lot of knowledge. So anytime you can ask questions, I think that\u2019s to anyone, you can learn from him.\u201d<\/p>\n Browns QB Deshaun Watson Facing Pressure<\/p>\n Watson is entering the final year of the fully guaranteed $230 million deal<\/a> he signed with the Browns following his arrival in 2022 via a blockbuster trade. He\u2019s appeared in just 19 games, going 9-10 in those starts.<\/p>\n If he hopes to extend his NFL career, much will hinge on his ability to win the starting job and return to the field this season to prove he can still perform as a viable quarterback.<\/p>\n The reviews so far on Watson have been positive.<\/p>\n \u201cBall\u2019s coming out great. Looks great,\u201d Browns coach Todd Monken said. \u201cHe moved around great. And the ball came out great.\u201d<\/p>\n Padless reps offer only a glimpse. The real evaluation begins when the pads come on \u2014 and for Watson, that test carries added weight after three surgeries in two years<\/a> on his shoulder and Achilles.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJ.R. DeGroote<\/a> JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Browns\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has not spoken with the media in over a year. Deshaun Watson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":871794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-871793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116447817288607389","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}