Dion Dawkins didn’t leave much room for doubt after the Buffalo Bills’ joint practice with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. The five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle made it clear he still sees Deshaun Watson as the same quarterback who once forced defenses to account for every inch of the field.
“Deshaun is still him,” Dawkins said. “If you have a line that can protect the quarterback, then the quarterback is going to thrive.
And he’s been that guy. He is that guy.
And the world tries to paint a crazy picture that’s already painted. But let the past be the past.
The kid ball(s). He’s a baller.
And he’s here, and he shows it. He’s a baller.
But the battles are there, and they kept going.”
Dawkins added, “We’re in practice, and if he’s playing on Saturday, then he’ll be balling again. There’s a lot of talk going on.”
Watson’s career has become a study in what might have been and what could still be. The Browns brought him in from the Houston Texans in 2022 after he had already built a reputation as one of the league’s most gifted passers. During his time in Houston, Watson earned three Pro Bowl nods and led the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passer rating in 2020.
That peak remains part of the case for him. In 2020, Watson threw for 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing 70.2 percent of his passes.
His overall NFL line is still strong: 73 games played, 1,527 completions on 2,305 attempts, 17,904 passing yards, a 66.2 percent completion rate and 7.8 yards per attempt. He also has 123 touchdown passes, 48 interceptions and a 98.8 passer rating.
But the Browns have seen a far different version of his career unfold. Injuries have repeatedly interrupted his time in Cleveland. He played only six games in 2023 before a shoulder injury ended that season, then suffered a torn Achilles in 2024 and missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering.
That’s why Dawkins’ praise lands with some weight. Watson’s talent has never really been the question.
The question has been whether his body will let him show it again. Dawkins thinks the answer is yes.
Now Watson gets the chance to back it up.
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