Deshaun Watson will definitely be returning to the Cleveland Browns in 2025, but there’s now a chance that he won’t be able to play a single down next season.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed on Monday that Watson experienced a setback while recovering from an Achilles injury that he originally suffered in mid-October.
“As we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that he did have a setback in his Achilles recovery,” Berry told the media. “We don’t have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him. It is new information just learned in the past couple of hours, so I don’t have everything yet.”
It generally takes nine to 12 months for a player to recover from an Achilles injury, which means Watson would have been pushing it to return for Week 1 in 2025 if he DIDN’T have a setback, but now, the Browns are starting at situation where he could miss the 2025 season.
Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles on Oct. 30, 2023 and was able to return for the Atlanta Falcons‘ 2024 opener on Sept. 8. Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on Sept. 11, 2023 with the Jets and was able to return for their 2024 opener on Sept. 9.
Watson’s injury originally occurred on Oct. 20, so it was certainly possible that he could return in Week 1, but a setback definitely throws a wrench into that timeline. Berry didn’t rule out the possibility of Watson missing 2025, but he also said that it’s “too early to tell.”
“I don’t have all the information,” Berry said. “I don’t want to rule out anything with a major injury. We are still collecting all the information. Obviously, our main focus is to make sure he can get as healthy as possible.”
The Browns general manager was also asked if Watson might need another surgery.
“I can’t rule anything out, but I will know more in the next couple of days,” Berry said.
If Watson does need another surgery, there’s a good chance he would miss a good chunk of the 2025 season, if not all of it.
The Browns restructured Watson’s fully guaranteed contract in late December, and with the way it was set up, it pretty much guaranteed he would be on the roster for the final two years of his deal (2025 and 2026).
Going into 2025 offseason, the Browns were going to be in the market for a quarterback to possibly compete with Watson, but if he can’t play at all, they’re going to be in the market for a starting quarterback. The Browns clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Sunday, and with Watson’s setback, it now seems a lot more likely that they’ll end up taking a quarterback with that pick.
Watson started a total of seven games for the Browns this season before tearing his Achilles on Oct. 20. If Watson were to miss the 2025 season, that means he would have missed 38 of a possible 51 games due to injury over a three-season span where the Browns had to pay him $46 million in guaranteed money each year.
Go to Source
Author: John Breech
January 6, 2025 | 12:20 pm
