CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns cornerback Greg Newsome was as surprised as everyone else when Deshaun Watson reversed field and picked the Browns on Friday over the Saints, Panthers and Falcons.
“Yeah, for sure,’’ Newsome said Wednesday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. “It definitely came as a surprise as soon as you saw that he kind of declined us at first. We kind of thought that it was over, so definitely it was a surprise.’’
Watson, 26, is expected to be in Cleveland later this week for his introductory press conference, possibly on Friday after the Browns traded six draft picks to the Texans for him, including three first-rounders.
“Yeah, super-excited to meet him,’’ said Newsome, who attended the awards with fellow second-year pro Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who presented Myles Garrett as Athlete of the Year. “I don’t really know him too well. I just feel like we don’t have any like ties with anything, but definitely super-excited to meet him.’’
Coming off an excellent rookie season, Newsome acknowledged that he’s admired the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback from afar.
“Yeah, I mean I love his game,’’ Newsome said. “He’s a great quarterback, so definitely looking forward to meeting him.’’
Newsome declined to comment on the legal issues Watson brings to Cleveland, specifically the 22 civil suits from massage therapists who’s accused him of either sexual assault or sexual harassment. Watson was in Houston giving depositions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I mean, that’s not a comment I should make at all,’’ Newsome said. “I don’t know anything about it, so I’m just going to stay away from that.’’
He expects Watson, 26, to bring leadership he was known for in his four seasons in Houston, where he led the Texans to back-to-back playoff campaigns in 2018 and 2019.
“Oh, a lot,’’ he said. “That’s something I’m trying to do as well, be a leader out there, so we’ve kind of just got to get a feel for him. We don’t know him right now, so we’ve got to get to know him.’’
He said the team hasn’t necessarily been all abuzz about the trade for Watson, who makes them instant Super Bowl contender.
“Not really,’’ he said. “Because at the end of the day, we still gotta work. Obviously, bringing in a great quarterback is a lot, but we’ve got some other stuff we need to fix as a team, too, so we’re kinda just on our own working on our craft so we’ll be better players going into next season.”
Newsome said he hasn’t connected with Baker Mayfield, who asked to be traded, and could be dealt soon.
“No, I have not talked to him,’’ he said.
He declined to say if he was surprised how it ended with Mayfield.
“I kind of just honestly was just focused on myself, focused on me getting better,’’ he said. “I didn’t think about anybody else. I just want to be the best me going into next season and I had no idea about any of that.”
He’d also welcome five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry back with open arms. Landry, who was released last week, is a possibility to return, especially with Watson on board.
“I mean, he’s a great leader,’’ Newsome said. “He was the heart and soul of the team for the last few years he’s been here so it would definitely be cool to have a reunion with him. Obviously, I’m not in the front office and I can’t make those decisions, but it would pretty cool if he could come back.”
He hasn’t lobbied directly for him to come back.
“No, I haven’t talked to him at all,’’ he said.
In the meantime, he can’t wait to work with new four-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper.
“No, I don’t know him at all, but he’s definitely a great receiver so I’ll be looking to that matchup,’’ he said. “A guy like that, I mean going against Odell (Beckham Jr.) and Jarvis was the same thing last year, so another guy like that is definitely going to help me going into Year 2.”
While the Browns continue to add players and prepare for the NFL draft, Newsome is working hard at Exos Training Facility in Arizona.
“I mean it’s just to take that jump,’’ he said. “Obviously there’s always that rookie year to the second year, either you go down or you go up, so that’s my main focus, making sure that I stay consistent and get better.”
His goal is to add some interceptions and strips to his resume.
“I mean just taking the ball away,’’ he said. “I know I can do it. I think after that this next season I’ll definitely take another jump.”
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