Browns Issue Official Deshaun Watson Statement Amid Controversy

The Deshaun Watson might not just be over yet in Cleveland.

Despite owner Jimmy Haslam saying Watson was a big "swing and a miss,'' Browns general manager Andrew Berry said it is possible that despite tearing his Achilles tendon twice in one year, Watson might make it back at some point this upcoming season.

“It’s too early to say,” Berry said. “I can say Deshaun has done a great job of rehabbing. He’s been in every day. He’s progressing and that’s really our focus, but it’s too early to say.”

Since Aaron Rodgers came back early from an Achilles tear, players believe they can rehab like mad men and get ready. However, there is a big difference between being healthy and being ready to play and to survive an actual game of football.

Should Watson get cleared to play at some point, the Browns have a decision to make. He played so poorly in this other starts as a Browns signal-caller, they might just have him ride the pine. 

One argument: Watson should want to sit out the season and get himself ready for 2026. He might not be in Cleveland, but chances are he will end up somewhere.

Since the Browns traded for him in 2022, he was not worked out at all and the trade with the Houston Texans could be remembered the worst swap in the history of the game.

It was in March 2022 when the Browns went for a massive trade, receiving Watson and a 2024 sixth-rounder from the Texans for three first-round picks (2022-24), a third-rounder in 2023 and a pair of fourth-round selections (2022, 2024).

Aside from the bad trade, the Browns gave Watson a monster $230 million extension with an unprecedented all-guaranteed money ... a move hurt their cap and their ability to sign other players to put around him.

Amid a mountain of criticism, Watson recently wrote on social media, “Maybe, if I weren’t built for this, I’d let it phase me.''

The Browns would love for Deshaun to prove himself right. But as Berry suggested ...