CLEVELAND, Ohio – Deshaun Watson’s season is gone, and the Cleveland Browns are again without a franchise quarterback.
After breaking his throwing shoulder during his strongest performance since joining the team in a contentious deal in 2022, Watson will miss the remainder of his second season with Cleveland.
“I’m still in disbelief,” Watson admitted on Wednesday.
Watson will have surgery to fix a fracture in his right shoulder that occurred during Sunday’s 33-31 victory over Baltimore on an unexplained hit in the second quarter. According to the team, an MRI indicated a displaced fracture to the glenoid.
Watson said he had “no idea” when the fracture occurred but recognized there was a problem before the end of the first quarter.
“I kind of recognized something was wrong, but I was just pushing through whatever I was feeling during the game,” said Watson, wearing a walking boot. “And then after the game, and Monday and Tuesday, we got testing done, and that’s when I found out from the doctors that it was something worse than what we thought it was.”
When questioned about his feelings about his season-ending, Watson paused for many seconds.
“It’s very tough,” he admitted. “But I’m going to make sure I keep my head above water and make sure I stay in touch with all the guys and support them as much as I possibly can and attack this rehab process after surgery and make sure that I’m doing whatever I can to be beneficial for the team while not actually being on the field with them and also prepping for the next year.”
According to Browns general manager Andrew Berry, the fracture is unrelated to Watson’s torn rotator cuff earlier this season.
“We are very disappointed and devastated for Deshaun, especially given all that he has battled and gone through medically this season,” Berry said in a statement. “We look at this as an incredible challenge and opportunity for our organization.”
Berry praised Watson for playing through a shoulder ailment and a high left ankle sprain against the Ravens and leading the Browns to a last-second victory.
“He really didn’t start even really feeling it to the second half of the game, and he didn’t even really raise it until well after the game,” Berry told ESPN. “It’s an incredible display of physical toughness for him to play with that and not even notice it given the severity of the injury.”
Watson will be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season, a devastating blow to the Browns, who had spent $230 million on the 28-year-old, whose arrival seemed to end their long hunt for an exceptional quarterback.
Watson will now have to recover from a shoulder injury with only three seasons remaining on his contract.
It’s the latest setback for the Browns, who have remained in the playoff hunt despite season-ending injuries to standout running back Nick Chubb and Pro Bowl right tackle Jack Conklin and playing without Watson for several games.
Berry deferred to coach Kevin Stefanski on the team’s quarterback plans for the future. On Sunday, the Browns (6-3) will face the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3).
When Watson was out earlier this season (he played only 12 plays in four October games), the Browns started youngster Dorian-Thompson-Robinson in one game and P.J. Walker in two.
Walker has 618 yards passing with one touchdown and five interceptions.
Stefanski could stick with Walker for the rest of the season or give Thompson-Robinson another chance after a shaky start. It’s also likely that the Browns will look to sign an experienced free agency. When Watson was injured last month, the team was chastised for failing to acquire a proven backup before the trade deadline.
Berry said the team would add a third quarterback but provided no other details.
Last year, the Browns traded three first-round draft picks to Houston for Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler who the NFL suspended for 11 games after being accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than two dozen women during massage therapy sessions.
Watson, who has made only 12 of 26 possible starts since joining Cleveland, tweaked his left ankle twice on Sunday but persisted in playing. He completed 14 14 passes in the second half, leading the Browns to one of their most important victories in years.
SOURCE – (AP)
