The rejuvenation of Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns has been perhaps the biggest surprise in the NFL season.
When Watson was surprisingly named Cleveland’s starter this fall, he became testy with fans and became a subject of intense criticism in the media. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky called for fans to boycott the Browns in response, while NFL Network star Kyle Brandt suggested cutting Watson for how he handled the process.
On football broadcasts, the story has been pretty touchy. Announcers have been challenged by how to properly cover the troubled quarterback, from the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct he has faced to his departure from Houston to his recent track record of major injuries.
When the Browns appeared on Prime Video in the preseason and on an early Thursday Night Football broadcast, Watson’s impropriety split the group. While the announce team of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit diminished the allegations against Watson and studio analyst Tony Gonzalez praised Watson’s resilience, Ryan Fitzpatrick guaranteed the former Clemson quarterback would fail.
Watson has not been elite this season, but the Browns’ 5-2 record speaks for itself.
And Tuesday morning on ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith declared Watson the front-runner for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
“Deshaun Watson right now is the Comeback Player of the Year,” Smith said. “It’s uncomfortable to say it, but it’s true.”
“Considering where he was, how bad he looked on the football field.”
Stephen A. Smith: “Deshaun Watson, right now, is the comeback player of the year.”
Chris Canty: “That’s uncomfortable to even say it. It’s very uncomfortable.” https://t.co/2h94WxxaL4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 27, 2026
Starting at the beginning of the decade in Houston, Watson settled more than two dozen civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct. The most recent was closed earlier this year.
Watson has played no more than seven games in a season since 2020 while navigating the lawsuits, a subsequent suspension, and shoulder and Achilles injuries. The three-time Pro Bowler is playing his best football since his Texans days so far in 2026, with a 90.6 quarterback rating and eight total touchdowns.
Still, as the First Take panel’s reaction suggests, calling Watson’s performance a “comeback” won’t go down easy. The award is typically reserved for players who have overcome injury, which Watson certainly did. But Watson’s off-field behavior is almost impossible to separate from the injuries, given the long hiatus from football from 2021-22. The CPOY award rarely gets much thought, but awarding Watson at all will be a topic of conversation if Cleveland keeps playing well, especially now that Smith has put it in the zeitgeist on First Take.
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