A report from May indicated that quarterback Deshaun Watson could attempt to play for the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 season after suffering a torn Achilles last October and then reinjuring it during his recovery.
For an article published on Tuesday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentioned that Watson could make things difficult for the Browns later this year.
"If he can play, the Browns will have to move him to the 53-man roster or release him," Florio wrote about Watson. "That could prompt the Browns to disagree with Watson, even if it sets the stage for a formal grievance — with Watson saying he’s healthy enough to play and the Browns saying he’s not. The stakes are high for the Browns. If they opt not to put him on the roster...releasing him would set the stage for a devastating 2026 cap charge of $131.161M."
Watson has made just 19 regular-season starts since he accepted a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract as part of joining the Browns in March 2022. Earlier this year, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to close the door on the club's Watson era when Haslam said Cleveland "took a big swing and miss with Deshaun." Florio suggested his comments could cause Watson to want "to prove Haslam wrong" this fall by returning to the active roster.
The Browns are on track to have Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel, 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders and journeyman Tyler Huntley as part of their quarterback room for their preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday. Meanwhile, Watson will likely begin September on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
"The Browns may prefer to stash him on the physically unable to perform list for all of 2025," Florio added about Watson. "They owe him the money whether he’s on the roster or not. They qualify for maximum insurance coverage (and eventually cap relief) if he can’t play."
Watson has already gone down with a significant setback while working to recover from a serious injury. There's no guarantee he'll be cleared to play by Week 18 even if his Achilles heals as hoped.
That said, it sounds like Florio thinks there's a scenario where the Browns may have to make room for Watson on their active roster before the season ends. That could make for an interesting development if Cleveland shocks the football world and remains in the playoff hunt through the final few weeks of the campaign.