Jameis Winston says Deshaun Watson will 'find a way to shine when the lights come on'

BEREA — Jameis Winston is getting the start at quarterback when the Browns open the preseason Saturday. What he doesn't doubt is what's going to happen when Deshaun Watson starts when the real games get underway next month.

"When you can go out, you can see practice, you can knick-knack, this-that, paddy whack, give a dog a bone — Deshaun Watson is going to turn it on," Winston said prior to Thursday's training camp practice. "He’s always going to find a way to shine when the lights come on. Man, I just rhymed. Can I leave off that one? I know that one’s going to hit."

Winston's confidence in Watson was forged nearly a decade ago while watching Watson, as the quarterback at Clemson, rally his team to beat Winston's home-state Alabama Crimson Tide for the 2016 college football playoff championship. At that time, Winston was the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, himself a college football national champion, a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick.

That game was played in January, 2017. More than seven years later, Winston's gained an even closer look at Watson by sharing a practice field with him daily after the Browns signed him in March.

The vantage point to Watson has gotten even closer for Winston, but the opinion hasn't changed at all. Then again, one thing Winston has learned is that opinions aren't something that Watson particularly cares about hearing.

"Honestly, I know he respects everyone's opinion, but the most important opinion to him is his self," Winston said. "And I know that he's working through a of different things, but man, he's happy, he's poised, he isn't fazed by anything that anyone has to say because he's on a mission to be the best quarterback that he possibly can be. And again, just me seeing, when I was that age — and I'm just two years older than him — but understanding ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’ and he knows the magnitude and expectation that a lot of people have for him."

One preseason game isn't going to change those expectations, for better or for worst. Especially the first preseason game, where neither the Browns nor the Packers are expected to play their starters for much more than roughly 10 plays.

The more important dates for Watson, and the Browns, come next Wednesday and Thursday. That's when the Minnesota Vikings come to Berea for joint practices, practices which should provide much more in terms of an actual gauge for where they really are with both Watson's return from shoulder surgery and the team's return from last season's playoff berth.

That's why Winston finds himself getting the start Saturday against Green Bay. For the Browns, it's still a chance to have a veteran presence under center while they still have some regulars on the field, while Winston gets a chance to play, something that may or may not happen once the regular season starts.

"Every time you get an opportunity to go out there and express your talent, it’s very valuable," Winston said of playing in the preseason. "I can't place a single thing that's more valuable than the other because I'm extremely grateful that I get the opportunity to go out there and work with the guys.”

The value Winston may ultimately provide the Browns most is simply a mentorship for Watson. They would love to be able to avoid having to play a bunch of meaningful snaps to the backup, which has so often been an issue for the franchise, especially since the March, 2022, trade for Watson.

Winston has accepted such a role now with two teams since he left the Bucs after the 2019 season. He's essentially became that during his four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and then when he signed with Cleveland.

"It's an important position," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "You don't get a ton of reps. You have to be ready to roll at a moment's notice, but you can have a great impact on the football team, both on the field and off the field. So I've seen some great ones. I don't think it's a mistake that you see a lot of coaches come from that backup quarterback position. It's like backup catchers and point guards and those type of things. It's a cerebral position where I think you get a lot of guys that understand all the nuances of this game."

Those nuances include the person Winston's supposed to be backing up. It's not just about the nuances about Watson's game that he's growing to know, but of the person as well.

All of that goes back to Winston's statement about believing Watson's going to "find a way to shine when the lights come on." It's his belief in Watson, as well as what he believes is his role to serve as chief motivator as well as primary backup for him.

"If you think that Deshaun Watson has a lesser expectation than all the fans or all of you have of him, then you're shortchanging yourself because he has high expectations," Winston said. "He wants to be and will be a Super Bowl winning quarterback. And honestly, that's why I'm here for, because I guarantee you I'm feeding that into him. I'm making sure that he knows that and he really don't need my help because he has it. He already has possessed that.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jameis Winston says Deshaun Watson will 'find a way to shine when the lights come on'