Overview
- On Tuesday Stephen A. Smith said Watson is the early favorite for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, a remark that co‑host Chris Canty called “uncomfortable” because of Watson’s past misconduct allegations.
- Watson has helped the Browns to a 5-2 start and has engineered a fourth‑quarter, game‑winning drive in each of Cleveland’s five wins, including a 308‑yard passing outing and a rushing go‑ahead score in the latest victory over Tennessee.
- Through seven games Watson has 1,482 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, numbers that commentators say are respectable but not dominant compared with the unusual leverage of his late‑game plays.
- Watson has repeatedly denied wrongdoing from the nearly two dozen 2021–22 civil accusations that led to settlements and an 11‑game NFL suspension, and he emphasized that award talk ‘builds confidence’ but that the season is long and consistency matters.
- The Browns’ trip to the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday stands as the next key test for whether Watson’s resurgence is sustainable and whether his on‑field recovery will be widely recognized at season’s end.