Browns QB Deshaun Watson Suffers Unfortunate Injury Setback

As if the Cleveland Browns weren't already worried about the future of its franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson, things have worsened regarding his Achilles injury.

The 29-year-old tore his Achilles on Oct. 20 in the team's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, which ended his season prematurely for the second consecutive year. While it was viewed as a serious injury at the time, the hope for Watson was that he'd return next season. 

However, a Friday report by Adam Schefter revealed that Watson suffered a significant setback in his recovery, as he tore his Achilles again and needed another surgery.

"Browns QB Deshaun Watson underwent surgery Thursday after tearing his Achilles again, and his status for the 2025 season is now in jeopardy, per league sources," Schefter wrote. "Watson met Thursday with Dr. Robert Anderson before undergoing the surgery..."Watson tore his right Achilles tendon Oct. 20, marking the second straight year his season ended because of injury."

Watson has two seasons remaining on the deal that he signed with the Browns before the 2022 season, which was for five years and fully guaranteed him $230 million. The team will owe him $46 million each of the next two seasons, only adding salt to the wound of just how poorly this experiment has gone.

On top of the fact that Watson has only played in 19 games in Cleveland, his performance has also fallen off a cliff when he is healthy. He's posted the three-lowest QBRs of his career in Cleveland, has seen his average yards per completion drop and his completion percentage is far from the 70.2% he posted in his final year with the Houston Texans.

If there was a bright side to this situation, the Browns do have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and can take another crack at selecting a quarterback.