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Daniel Oyefusi, ESPN
CLEVELAND – Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson took out his shotgun and tried to make a run play late in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. But before he could cross the line of scrimmage, he crumpled to the ground, hitting his lower right leg.
The magnitude of the injury was immediate because the cart entered the field. Then the entire Browns team came off the sideline because of concerns about their starting quarterback.
After a while, Watson was taken to the locker room. He used the towel placed on his head to wipe the tears from his face.
On Friday, the Browns confirmed Watson had ruptured his right Achilles, marking the second straight year Cleveland has lost Watson to a season-ending injury. He injured his throwing shoulder on Sunday 10 years ago.
Watson’s three seasons in Cleveland have produced 19 disappointing starts. Since the Browns traded for him before the 2022 season, guaranteeing $230 million over five years, Watson has served an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and suffered two season-ending injuries. His signing, which was supposed to secure the Browns’ quarterback position for years to come, left more questions about the franchise’s plans at the position, not only in the future but also next year as Watson again faces a long rehabilitation. one that could remain into the 2025 season.
“We feel bad for Deshaun,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday. “In this case, it feels like we’re not going to lose him this season. And we also know as a football team, this is where you have to step up. Guys have to step up, and that’s how it is.”
For weeks, the Browns have faced questions about Watson’s status as the team’s starting quarterback. As his game deteriorated, fans began to worry.
The Browns went all-in to acquire Watson in 2022. Despite the sexual allegations that will eventually force Watson to serve a suspension to start his Cleveland career, the franchise sent the Houston Texans three first-round picks and gave Watson a guaranteed contract. hope to raise the team to claim.
Since the move, Watson has produced 34 QBRs and a 9-10 record as a starter. His status as a polarizing and controversial figure during his tenure in Cleveland was on display early in Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals. Home fans booed him during his pregame introductions and continued as Cleveland’s offense sputtered.
As he lay on the ground after an Achilles injury, the cheers and boos of the fans drew the attention of his Browns teammates.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves,” defensive end Myles Garrett said.
While the injury will prevent Watson from making an impact on the field for Cleveland, his contract will continue with the franchise. Two seasons later, Watson has a cap hit of $72.9 million, both of which are slated to be the second-highest in the NFL, according to the Roster Management System. Cleveland owes Watson $46 million over each of the next two seasons, a hefty investment for a player who has the fourth-lowest QBR of 45 quarterbacks with at least 10 starts through the start of the 2022 season.
The Browns restructured Watson’s contract before the season, creating $44.79 million in cap space that the team expected to be subject to the cap in the 2025 offseason. Cleveland was projected to have $52 million over the cap for the 2025 season. However, Watson’s contract restructuring created $172 million and $99 million that die in 2025 and 2026 if Cleveland were to part with him in cuts before June 1.
The Browns bought an insurance policy on Watson’s contract and received cap relief for 2024 after he missed 11 games due to injury in 2023. If his injury forces him to sit out 2025, Cleveland could get additional relief.
According to a copy of Watson’s contract obtained by ESPN, the Browns have up to $13.9 million of Watson’s 2024 salary insured and up to $44.2 million of his 2025 salary insured.
However, with limited cap space in 2025, the Browns’ best chance to upgrade at quarterback may come in the draft. Cleveland no longer owes the Watson trade and, with a 1-6 team, their first-round pick from 2021 is trending toward the top pick. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid’s latest mock draft, projected before Watson’s injury, has the Browns select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with No.
Before the season, Browns general manager Andrew Berry talked about keeping Watson in Cleveland for several years and for several contracts, an excellent view for a player who has never lived up to the expectations that came with one of the biggest deals in NFL history.
A statement released by the team on Friday said Watson is expected to make a full recovery. However, Stefanski did not answer a series of questions about Watson’s play this season and his status as the team’s starting quarterback once he gets healthy.
“Obviously, I believe in Deshaun,” Stefanski said. “But I also think it’s important just to acknowledge that he’s just injured and it’s a bad break for him. We feel bad for him and we know he’s going to go back. . I’m hoping he can have surgery and obviously come back.”
The Browns started the season 1-5 with Watson posting the lowest QBR in the NFL. But Stefanski stood by him as the starting quarterback, saying Watson gives Cleveland the best chance to win. However, the team made a change at backup quarterback before Sunday’s game, promoting second-year player Dorian Thompson-Robinson to QB2, while veteran Jameis Winston became the emergency quarterback.
Thompson-Robinson showed athleticism after Watson’s injury, leading the Browns with 44 yards rushing. But he struggled as a passer, completing 11 of 24 passes for 82 yards and throwing two interceptions. He injured a finger on his throwing hand while making a tackle after a last second pick in the fourth quarter, which forced Winston to enter the game with the Browns down 21-6. Winston completed 5 of 11 passes for 67 yards, threw for a touchdown and converted a 2-point attempt before an unsuccessful onside kick ended the game.
After the game, Stefanski said he viewed both Thompson-Robinson and Winston as the No. 2 quarterback but decided to go with Thompson-Robinson because the game plan did not include the short-yardage package the team has been using with Winston this season.
“I think Dorian has acquitted himself in training and preparation to make the backup,” Stefanski said.
Stefanski did not commit to the starting quarterback for Sunday’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens, saying he wanted to gather more information on the extent of Thompson-Robinson’s injury. Stefanski said he feels comfortable with Thompson-Robinson’s availability this season but is non-committal about the Ravens’ game. With no quarterback on the practice squad, Stefanski said the team will add a passer this week.
Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth round pick, made three starts last season, completing 53.6% of his passes for 440 yards, 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions. His first start came unexpectedly against the Ravens after Watson was sidelined with a right shoulder injury. Thompson-Robinson threw three interceptions in a 28-3 loss and made two other starts before the Browns turned to Joe Flacco after Watson suffered another shoulder injury, with one requiring season-ending surgery.
Thompson-Robinson showed more comfort and command of the offense during the second training camp and preseason. The team opted to keep him instead of Tyler Huntley as one of the three quarterbacks and remains confident in his potential. But Thompson-Robinson’s experience was highlighted when he looked overwhelmed to take over from Watson on Sunday.
“There are a lot of things we need to clean up,” Thompson-Robinson said after the game. “It kind of gives me flashbacks to the Ravens game last year, and I feel like I still have a bad taste in my mouth. And that’s something that I have to look in the mirror and get ready to prepare for next week.”
Winston, a 10-year veteran, provides a more experienced option than Thompson-Robinson. He has started 80 games since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. However, Winston is less mobile than Thompson-Robinson or Watson, who could be responsible behind an offensive line that surrendered a league-high 35 sacks .
“I’m ready and willing for any role,” Winston said. “This has been the story of my career for the last few years. I’m ready. I’m prepared and ready for whatever role I’m going to play. I’m here to serve.”
Whichever quarterback the Browns name as the starter, the offense seems poised to pivot from a spread approach built around Watson in hopes of getting him back to Pro Bowl form. With running back Nick Chubb making his season debut on Sunday after a serious knee injury last year, Cleveland ran 28.6% of its plays from under center, tied for the second-highest rate this season. The Browns’ shotgun snap percentage — 71.4% — is the second-lowest of the season.
“I think you have to do that as an offense, you always lean toward the quarterbacks you’re most comfortable with,” Stefanski said. “So, what will be right is always going forward.”
Stefanski is used to making midseason changes at quarterback. When the Browns signed Flacco, Cleveland returned to the West Coast principles that Stefanski initially brought — snaps under center and play-action passes — and helped keep the team’s season on the road to the playoffs.
At the time Stefanski turned to Flacco, though, the Browns were 7-4, leaning on an elite defense and needing a quarterback to lead the offense. The situation of replacing another midfielder due to injury is different.
In Sunday’s loss, which dropped Cleveland to 1-6, the Browns’ offense recorded 300 total yards for the first time this season but extended its streak of games without 20 points to seven, the longest to start a season in 15 years.
Watson hasn’t been able to lift Cleveland’s offense in seven starts this season, but the unit has uncovered perennial issues — from penalties to blocking issues — that Stefanski and whoever starts at quarterback against the Ravens will have to work to correct.
ESPN senior writer Kalyn Kahler contributed to this report.
