WR Elijah Moore saw the perfect example of how much QB Deshaun Watson loves football when Watson brought a few of the team's veterans to Puerto Rico last week.
"We were in the hotel, and he's in the playbook when we're chilling on the beach," Moore said. "We just got done working out. We all got work done, and he's still in the playbook, so seeing how he is with that only gives us more confidence. Like, 'Okay, let us go look at the playbook one more time. I can't ask for nothing better."
The trip, arranged by Watson, was meant to be a team-bonding trip infused with football activities, and judging by Moore's example of Watson's work ethic, the week lived up to those expectations.
It's made Moore even more eager to start working with his new team.
"It was a smooth week of just connecting and gelling with the teammates, the camaraderie," he said. "I got to learn a lot of them boys from a different perspective. I feel like it's only going to help out here."
Check out the action from practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus as the Browns go through organized team activities
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (89) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Juan Thornhill (1) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Lonnie Phelps (63) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive tackle Siaki Ika (62) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Cameron Mitchell (29) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Running back John Kelly Jr. (41), Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) and Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (90) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Jeremiah Martin (69) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) and Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Tanner McCalister (48) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Rodney McLeod (26) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Mike Ford Jr. (27) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (20) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (20) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Juan Thornhill (1) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Rodney McLeod (26) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Offensive tackle Dawand Jones (74) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (90) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Bill Walsh Coaching Interns Brittany Bushman, Chris Labidou and Jamael Lett after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (20) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety D'Anthony Bell (37) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Bubba Bolden (36) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Linebacker Tony Fields II (42) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Chris Westry (49) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive tackle Siaki Ika (62) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (19) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Center Nick Harris (53) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Wide receiver David Bell (18) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (20) and Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) with Stay in the Game Guests from Akron Public Schools after OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Thomas Greaney (43) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Jordan Akins (84) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden (83) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Sam Kamara (92) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Jim Washburn during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Alex Wright (91) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour (65) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Jeremiah Martin (69) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Safety Juan Thornhill (1) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Defensive end Isaiah Thomas (58) during OTA 2 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 24, 2023.
Moore, acquired by the Browns in a trade in March with the Jets, has continued to build that chemistry with his new teammates — and, more specifically, his new quarterback — in the first days of the Browns' organized team activities this week back in Berea.
Player attendance is voluntary and the intensity isn't at 100 percent, but Moore was still one of the noticeable players in Wednesday's practice. He was a constant target for Watson in the 7-on-7 periods and is clearly a player Watson will look to throw plenty of passes to in the spring practices.
Moore said getting used to a new quarterback is the biggest element he'll need to adjust with his new team. It shouldn't be a surprise since Moore has never played with a QB who has the arm and accolades Watson has, nor has he played with a mobile QB who can extend plays via scrambling.
"Different quarterback, different arm, seeing what he sees and just the communication around the team," Moore said. "Everyone communicates differently, but I feel like it's going to go well, so I can't complain."
Moore, a second-round pick in 2021, adds a speed element to the receiver room the Browns lacked last season. That's why they were willing to give up a second-round pick for him in their trade for the Jets with the belief that Moore will be able to stretch opposing defenses that are wary of him going long.
Expect him to be the recipient of plenty of deep ball attempts from Watson throughout the remaining spring practices and training camp.
"I've been training, and I feel like I hold myself to train really hard and to put myself in the best position," he said. "But like we were all saying after practice yesterday, it's nothing like being out here doing it for real. I feel good about everything. We're taking it one day at a time and I feel like it's going to be what we want it to be."
The Browns need Moore and Watson to click this season for the pass game to reach its full potential, and based on how Moore has connected with Watson so far — both at the beach and in Berea — he has no doubt he'll be able to do his part.
"I can't do anything but feel blessed to be in the opportunity that I'm in right this moment," he said. "It feels good to be wanted, and it's going to make any player, any human, go harder when you feel like that and you feel like you're around people who want you to be here.
"So I'm going to give it all I got every single day."
