Deshaun Watson didn't just suffer a setback in his rehab. He suffered a re-tear that could knock him out another entire season.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback ruptured his right Achilles again, further testing showed, and he had another surgery on Thursday to repair it, 国产外流网Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per sources informed of the situation.
The re-rupture comes less than three months after the original tear, and now Watson faces a longer road back. He could miss the entire 2025 season, per Rapoport.
Cleveland 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 announced 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 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 can come back at some point in 2025, the question is how the already struggling quarterback would perform after the dual Achilles injuries. We saw both Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers lack mobility at times after their returns from Achilles injuries in 2024.
The latest injury redoubles the disastrous Watson tenure in Cleveland. Since the Browns acquired the former Houston Texans quarterback in 2022 for a boatload of draft picks, Watson has played in just 19 of a possible 51 regular season games. In 2022, he was suspended 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.
In addition to his lack of playing time in Cleveland, Watson sat out the entirety of the 2021 season in Houston. If he also misses all of 2025 due to injury, he'll have played in just 19 games over five seasons (85 potential regular-season games).
When he's been on the field, the 29-year-old has been wholly ineffective, looking nothing like the 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. That nearly all of the other quarterbacks who played in Cleveland over the previous three seasons looked better than Watson in Kevin Stefanski's offense speaks volumes about Watson's struggles.
The possibility that Watson could miss the entirety of the 2025 season clears a path for the Browns to bring in a full-time replacement. With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 国产外流网Draft, Cleveland could pluck a rookie quarterback in its latest attempt to find quarterback stability. Given Watson's onerous contract, a signal-caller on a cheap rookie contract was always going to be the best transition move for the Browns. The youth move 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 underscores that Watson isn't the solution to the QB woes Cleveland thought it was getting in 2022.
