Deshaun Watson Provides Encouraging Words For Struggling Browns Teammate

After a heated exchange during the Cleveland Browns loss to the Raiders, Deshaun Watson explained

Sep 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) talks with quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) in the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images / Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Throughout the illustrious career or Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl Champion was captured on numerous occasions engaging in fiery exchanges with his teammates and coaches. To viewers, it may have come off as Brady being a diva, but to the future Hall of Famer and his teammates, it was just part of what it took to be great.

So when Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was seen yelling at second-year tackle Dawand Jones during Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, some things may have been lost in translation. Despite the fact that Watson was later captured supporting his teammate, he made sure to clarify the situation even further on Wednesday and complimented one of his key protectors.

"Dawand is very talented young tackle. And he shows a lot of emotion, he has a lot of passion for the game, he wants to be the best and we know that," said Watson. "And we hold each and every person that's out there on the field to a high standard and he knows that and I just wanted to make sure that he know that as a leader of this offense, and one of the leaders of his team that we love him."

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That tough love approach is something quite common around the NFL. Teams often use the equate the locker room dynamics to that of a family. What people witnessed between Watson and Jones on Sunday was just that.

"That's what family do," said Watson. "We might go back and forth, but at the end of the day we talk about it, we love each other and we move on and that's part of the game. That's part of the system. I think the media kind of blows it out of proportion, but it wasn't anything serious. That's why no one panicked. That's why you didn't see Kevin or Ken or any other coaches try to do too much because we know exactly what we need and that's what we need. It is a player led team, it's a player led league."

Earlier in the week veteran safety Rodney McLeod said during a radio appearance that good teams are led by coaches but great teams are led by the players. As a captain of the team and the quarterback Watson believes he owes it to his Browns teammates to hold them accountable when things aren't going so great.

That doesn't mean he also won't be the first one there to pick them up and lift their confidence as well. Football is called the ultimate team sport, so it's not lost on Watson that his success hinges on the success of the guys around it. Especially someone like Jones, who is tasked with deterring some of the game's most freakishly talented players from tackling him.

"I think it’s very important just as an overall quarterback, not just for him but for everyone to know that, hey, regardless if somebody have a bad play, or go the wrong way or something like that, I'm not going to lose faith," Watson added. "I'm not one of those guys. I'm gonna need every single one of those guys on the field for me to be productive and be successful also. So we know the talent, those guys are in that locker room for a reason because we believe in them and we think that each one of those guys can help us win."