Report: Jimmy Haslam and Andrew Berry Impressed With Deshaun Watson’s Recent Workouts

The Cleveland Browns’ QB situation keeps adding more drama every day, as the latest reports state that Deshaun Watson could very well be in the fold to get activated this season. He apparently impressed the team’s GM, owner, and head coach in a recent workout.

In case you forgot, Watson tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7 of last year. It was a devastating injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. But it got worse when he re-tore the tendon in January after rolling his ankle, requiring a second surgery.

When the news of a re-tear came to light, most fans and analysts wrote off the possibility of Watson ever returning to the Browns. But since then, the reports have been sky-high about his rehab progress. Most recently, the team’s beat reporter, Mary Kay Cabot, had this to say about his latest workout session:

“Jimmy Haslam, Andrew Barry, and Kevin Stefanski all sat and watched one of those workouts of Deshaun Watson the other day. They liked what they saw from him. They were very encouraged about what’s happening with him from a health standpoint. He looks good. You would never know that he had re-torn Achilles surgery in January,” Cabot said on 92.3 The Fan.

It’s good to hear that Watson is doing well from a health standpoint. Achilles injuries are no joke. For athletes, it doesn’t just wear on them physically. The mental struggle of overcoming such an injury is massive as well. It’s probably been a long and difficult year for him.

Cabot later pointed out that Watson will start the season on the play-unable-to-play list, or the PUP. But she also noted that the team will have to decide, at some point, whether to activate their prodigal son.

“He has to be on PUP for 4 more games, but once you start to get into late October, they’re going to have to make a decision on Deshaun Watson. Do they think about activating him? Or does he remain on PUP for the rest of the season? So, this is something to watch as we approach the trade deadline,” Cabot said. 

It would be wild if the Browns activated and played Watson this season. It’s an idea that nobody is considering at the moment, as the team tries to figure out who their next QB of the future is between Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But Cabot revealed it could very well be an outcome, even if it’s just to trade the veteran they paid a whole lot of guaranteed money.

When Browns fans got around to the clip, however, they vehemently ranted against the report from the beat reporter.

“Workouts don’t mean anything if he still hasn’t learned how to read a defense and is running into sacks again,” one wrote. 

“We don’t want any version of Watson. Bench him and take your $230 million lumps. Or trade him and take the cap hit. You wrecked this team with the absolute worst trade in sports history,” another stated.

“Guys been here 3 years and had 2 major injuries so far. The guy can’t even make it 8 games. That doesn’t even include him being a mental case. But we’re talking about old versions of him. The delusion,” another user commented. 

Another fan thought that the Browns reporter was talking up Watson in an effort to raise his trade value. At least, that’s what they hoped.

“Please someone tell me they are only talking him up to trade him. right? RIGHT???” they joked.

Who knows what this is an effort for? It’s most likely just solid reporting from Cabot to keep the fans up to date. But there’s also a possibility of the Browns trying to play up his value through the media.

Regardless, if Watson were to get healthy, his entering the fold in the QB room would be mind-numbing for the coaching staff to sort out.