Watson underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a ruptured right Achilles' tendon, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
With his surgery going off without any complications, the 29-year-old quarterback should be back to full health for the start of the 2025 season, provided he steers clear of setbacks during what will be a lengthy rehab process. Though the Achilles surgery could curb Watson's rushing ability moving forward, the bigger question is whether he'll re-emerge as a starter in 2025 for the Browns or another team. He's still on the Browns' books through 2026 on a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, but Watson has hardly resembled the franchise quarterback that Cleveland thought it was getting when they acquired him in March 2022. Through his 19 career starts with Cleveland over three seasons, Watson has led the team to 9-10 record while completing 61.2 percent of his throws for 6.0 yards per attempt and a 19:12 TD:INT to go with 465 rushing yards and three more scores.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Surgery set for Friday
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Watson is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday to repair his ruptured right Achilles' tendon, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
He'll have the procedure overseen by Packers team physician Dr. Robert Anderson, who specializes in foot and ankle orthopedic surgeries. According to Cabot, Watson will be facing a nine-month recovery, which should put him on pace to be close to 100 percent before the start of the 2025 season. Though Watson is still on the Browns' books through the 2026 season after signing a five-year extension for $230 million guaranteed in March 2022, his poor play and inability to stay on the field over his first three seasons in Cleveland could prompt the team to go in a different direction at quarterback in 2025, even if he's fully healthy.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Moves to IR
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The Browns placed Watson (Achilles) on injured reserve Tuesday.
After Watson suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles' tendon in Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Bengals, the Browns didn't wait long to clear a spot for another quarterback in Bailey Zappe, who was signed off Kansas City's practice squad. With Watson set to undergo surgery in the near future, the Browns will turn the offense over to either Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger) or Jameis Winston beginning with the team's Week 8 game against the Ravens. Since being traded to the Browns in March 2022 and signing a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million extension, Watson has made just 19 appearances, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 6.0 yards per attempt and a 19:12 TD:INT. The 29-year-old should be ready to return for the start of the 2025 season, though given his poor form over the past few years, it's unclear if the Browns will still view him as a viable starting option.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Achilles tear confirmed
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Watson (Achilles) is done for the season after an MRI on Monday confirmed a torn Achilles, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Watson's season-ending injury during Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Bengals puts Jameis Winston in a position to enter the starting lineup for Cleveland, though it was Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger) who suited up as the Browns' backup quarterback Sunday versus Cincinnati. After a contract restructure to create cap space in 2023 and 2024, Watson is on the books for a $46 million base salary in both of the 2025 and 2026 seasons, though it's possible that insurance for season-ending injuries could now provide the Browns with some relief. In any case, Watson faces a lengthy recovery process that could put him at risk of being unavailable early in the 2025 campaign.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Could be done for season
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski noted after Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Bengals that Watson is believed to have suffered a season-ending Achilles injury but will undergo testing to confirm the severity of the issue, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
With Watson facing the possibility of an extended absence and Dorian Thompson-Robinson dealing with a finger injury, Jameis Winston is currently the healthiest Browns' QB ahead of next Sunday's game against the Ravens. In any case, look for added context regarding Watson's injury to arrive no later than Monday, but based on the initial diagnosis, he appears headed for IR in the coming days.
Watson won't return to Sunday's game against the Bengals after suffering an Achilles injury.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, it is feared that Watson suffered a torn Achilles, and if that's the case, the QB would face an extended absence. With Jameis Winston serving as the Browns' emergency third QB on Sunday, Dorian Thompson-Robinson has taken over for Watson versus Cincinnati.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Carted off the field Sunday
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Watson was carted off the field during Sunday's game against the Bengals, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com, after suffering what may be an Achilles' injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Prior to his exit from game, Watson completed 15 of 17 passing attempts for 128 yards and carried twice for one yard. With Jameis Winston having been made the Browns' emergency third QB on Sunday, Dorian Thompson-Robinson has replaced Watson.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Quiet in loss to Philly
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Watson completed 16 of 23 passes for 168 yards in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Eagles. He added 17 rushing yards on four carries.
While the 29-year-old quarterback didn't commit any turnovers and posted a season-high 7.3 yards per attempt, Watson also failed to get the ball into the end zone -- the Browns' lone touchdown on the day came on a return of a blocked field goal. As is becoming routine in Kevin Stefanski's postgame comments, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the head coach said he isn't benching Watson, but with the team now at 1-5 and the QB having failed to throw for 200 yards in any of those contests, he's probably running out of chances to turn his year around. Cleveland is expected to get Nick Chubb (knee) back in Week 7 against the Bengals, which could buy Watson a little more time if the star running back can help boost the performance of the offense.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: No change at QB
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated Monday that Watson is still the team's starting quarterback, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "I have to coach better," Stefanski said. "As offensive coaches, we have to coach better. As players, we have to play better. Deshaun can play better, he will play better."
Stefanski said as much following Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Vikings and still feels the same way after having a night to sleep on it. Watson and the Browns travel to Philadelphia for Week 6, bringing an offense that ranks last offensively in yards per play (3.8), yards per game (239.4) and third-down efficiency (18.2 percent). The Eagles rank 27th in total yards allowed per game (365.8) and 24th in passing yards allowed per game (237.0).
Yes, I know how bad Watson has been. And I know Kyler Murray just struggled against this defense. But he's one of the few QBs in the last calendar year who haven't lit this defense up. Daniel Jones scored 20 Fantasy points against them just three weeks ago. I expect a big time bounce back from both Watson and Amari Cooper in this spot. For the record, I would strongly prefer Sam Darnold, but he's only available in 32% of leagues.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Lackluster results in road loss
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Watson completed 24 of 32 pass attempts for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing eight times for 32 yards in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Raiders.
Watson failed to eclipse the 200-yard mark in passing in all four of his starts this season. With a mediocre 5:6 touchdown-to-turnover ratio in those four contests, the former fantasy star is looking like a shell of his former self in three seasons with Cleveland. Managers still holding out hope for the 2017 first-round pick are likely playing in deeper formats or two-QB leagues, as Watson is unlikely to garner big projections in a road matchup against Washington following a forgettable start to 2024.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Sleeper QBs
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I wouldn't start Watson in a one-quarterback league, but he's a good option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. He should take advantage of this matchup against the Giants, especially if Brian Burns (groin) is out for New York's defense. Watson's best game was 15.4 Fantasy points in Week 2 at Jacksonville, but he will hopefully have a two-touchdown outing for any Fantasy managers who need him in Week 3. And it would be great if Watson started to connect with Amari Cooper this week since Cooper only has five catches for 27 yards on 17 targets.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Watson scored 15.4 Fantasy points in Week 2 at Jacksonville, and so far that's his best performance through two games. The only reason to consider Watson this week is his matchup against the Giants, and hopefully, Watson can top 20 Fantasy points at home. He's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Will start Sunday
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson will start Sunday's game at Jacksonville, NFL.com reports.
Stefanski directed reporters to the team's official statement from Tuesday, in which the Browns said they will "respect the due process our legal system affords" after a civil lawsuit filed Monday accused Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020. Watson isn't expected to go on the commissioner's exempt list for now, with NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy announcing Tuesday that the league will "look into the matter under the personal conduct policy." The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million in 2022, after at least two dozen women made allegations similar to those in the lawsuit filed Monday. He has since reached confidential settlements for 23 of the 24 civil suits.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Facing civil lawsuit
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The NFL is not expected to place Watson on the commissioner's exempt list after a civil lawsuit was filed Monday accusing him of sexual assault and battery in October 2020, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports. "We are reviewing the complaint, and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy. Not looking at commissioner's exempt list as there's been no formal charges and the league's review has just begun," league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Tuesday.
Watson previously served an 11-game suspension, paid a $5 million fine and was ordered to undergo mandatory evaluation by behavioral experts and follow their suggested treatment program in 2022, after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. The lawsuit filed Monday represents a new complaint that the league will investigate and is one of two pending lawsuits filed against Watson, who had previously settled 23 of the 24 civil suits related to accusations of sexual misconduct.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Ugly Week 1 showing
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Watson completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. He added five rushes for 39 yards.
Watson was unable to move the Cleveland offense at any meaningful point in the game and averaged a disastrous 3.8 yards per attempt. Particularly troublesome was Watson's inability to distribute the ball effectively to his top pass catchers, as he was just 2-for-9 when targeting Amari Cooper and 3-for-8 when looking toward Jerry Jeudy. Dallas projects to be an above-average defense this season, but it will be difficult to trust any Browns' skill-position player regularly until Watson shows the ability to improve his level of play.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Restructure clears up cap space
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The Browns restructured Watson's contract Thursday by converting $44.8 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $35.8 million in cap space, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports
Watson's restructure could be positioning Cleveland for impending roster moves, as the team now has a NFL-leading $62 million in available salary cap space. Meanwhile, Watson still carries a tremendous $72.9 million salary cap hit for the Browns in both 2025 and 2026. Now heading into his age-29 season, Watson is coming off a quiet preseason in which he was held out of exhibition action and received regular rest days while working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. The team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cowboys will represent Watson's first game action since last November.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Limited due to soreness
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson (arm) was limited in practice due to "general arm soreness," Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Stefanski added that he hasn't yet made a decision on Watson's status for Saturday's preseason finale against the Seahawks, though Kelsey Russo of the team's official site reports that the coach said earlier this week that starters "should expect to play." Per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, Jameis Winston handled all the first-team reps at practice Wednesday with Watson being held out. Stefanski mentioned that he's "not overly concerned" about Watson's health.
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that he was unsure whether Watson (shoulder) would appear in any of the Browns' three preseason games, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports.
Watson, who had offseason shoulder surgery, has been throwing in camp, but the coach is being extra cautious at this stage. Stefanski said the coaching staff will discuss the quarterback's progress and make any playing decisions at the appropriate time.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Throwing daily without setbacks
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Watson (shoulder) said Wednesday he's been throwing daily, including with teammate Amari Cooper, as part of his rehab process, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Watson declined to say whether he's been fully cleared for training camp, but it's encouraging to hear that he's been able to move through his rehab program without setbacks. He missed all but six games in 2023 and underwent surgery last November to repair a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder. The outlook of Cleveland's passing attack for 2024 depends not only on Watson's health, but also the presence of Cooper, who is negotiating a new contract. Cooper skipped mandatory minicamp in June, and at this point, his full attendance at camp isn't a total guarantee, so it's a positive that he and Watson are already working on developing more of a rapport.
