Could this be the dramatic end of the brutal Deshaun Watson era for the Browns and the ‘Dog alike? He did much more than suffer a run of the mill setback in his rehab process. He sustained a re-tear that could sideline him for another entire season.
The embattled Cleveland Browns quarterback ruptured his right Achilles again, further testing indicated, and he underwent another surgery on Thursday to repair the damage, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The re-rupture comes less than ninety days after the original tear, and now Watson will have to endure a longer and more arduous road back. His entire 2025 season could be in grave jeopardy, Rapoport reported.
The Browns later confirmed Watson’s re-injury and surgery.
“Earlier this week, when Watson reported to the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for his exit physical as part of the Browns’ season-ending process, he complained of discomfort after rolling his ankle in Miami. MRI results demonstrated a re-rupture to his Achilles tendon,” the Browns said in a statement. “Dr. Bob Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Charlotte, NC, performed both surgeries. Watson’s recovery time and return to play status is uncertain, and he will likely miss significant time during the 2025 season.”
On Monday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry made the unfortunate announcement that everyone team dreads, that Watson had suffered a setback in rehab that thrust further questions about his availability for next season.
“It is new information just learned in the past couple hours. So, I don’t have everything yet,” Berry said at the time. “I don’t want to rule out anything with a major injury. We are still collecting all the information. And obviously our focus is making sure that he can get as healthy as possible.”
The new surgery restarts Watson’s timeline, and even if he is able to make a return at some point in 2025, the question is how effective the already struggling quarterback would perform after the two Achilles injuries. It was apparent both 36-year-old Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers 41, lacked mobility and quickness at times after their comebacks from Achilles injuries in 2024.
The latest injury exacerbates the disastrous Watson tenure in Cleveland. Since the Browns acquired the former Houston Texans signal caller and gave him a fully guaranteed contract in 2022 for a treasure-trove of draft picks, Watson has taken the field in just 19 of a possible 51 regular season games. In 2022, he was banned for 11 games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following allegations he committed sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Watson then ended each of the past two campaigns on injured reserve.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn addition to his lack of playing time with the Browns, Watson sat out the entirety of the 2021 campaign in Houston demanding a trade. If he also forced to sit out all of 2025 due to injury, he will have played in just 19 games over five seasons (85 potential regular-season games) and fall under the category of damaged goods.
When he has been on the gridiron, the 29-year-old out of Clemson has been awful, resembling nothing like the 3-time Pro Bowl quarterback the Browns thought they were getting when handing him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. Watson has missed throws, panicked under pressure, rarely seen the field well, and never generated a rapport with his receivers, especially Amari Cooper, who is being traded to the Buffalo Bills. Almost all of the other quarterbacks who played in Cleveland over the previous three seasons looked better than Watson in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, who is a two-time Coach of the Year, speaks volumes about Watson’s struggles.
The very real possibility that Watson could miss the entirety of the 2025 season clears the deck for the Browns to bring in a full-time replacement. With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland could pluck a rookie quarterback in its latest attempt to find quarterback stability. Given Watson’s hefty contract, a signal-caller on a cheap rookie deal was always going to be the best option for the Browns moving forward. The youth movement could be even cleaner if Watson is also not a threat to take away reps or starts.
Regardless of the path the Browns take in the draft and offseason, the latest injury further demonstrates that Watson is not and never was the solution to the QB woes Cleveland thought it was getting in 2022.
