Deshaun Watson has reportedly suffered a setback while rehabbing his Achilles injury. This devastating delay could have major implications for his future with the team. The Cleveland Browns already took the time to restructure his contract for next season and showed signs of bailing out on Watson. Now, it’s almost guaranteed the team takes a swing on a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders in the draft to right the ship.
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Browns GM, Andrew Berry, was the one to break the news of Watson facing a setback. It’s unclear how it will affect Watson’s timeline to a full recovery, and Berry did not rule anything out. He even said that another surgery may be on the table.
: #Browns QB Deshaun Watson suffered a setback in his Achilles recovery.
His 2025 season remains uncertain. pic.twitter.com/6RV8x4mocZ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 6, 2025
NFL and Browns fans alike took the news well, however. Watson has been one of the most hated players in the league for a couple of seasons after reports revealed he was committing nefarious sexual acts without consent on multiple women. And, while it’s insensitive to celebrate another person’s injury, it really shows how many have been hoping for his eventual downfall.
Karma works in mysterious ways
— trent22b.eth (@trent22b_eth) January 6, 2025
He’s off to get a massage to deal with this
— Scams Charania (@ScamsCharania69) January 6, 2025
I can’t remember more of a fall off for such a good player.
— Jason Bilyeu (@jbilyeudesign) January 6, 2025
One fan even took the time to recognize this as the official moment Shedeur Sanders became a Brown. “Shedeur Sanders is officially a Cleveland Brown,” wrote a netizen named Ben.
Shedeur Sanders is officially a Cleveland Brown.
— Ben (@TheHurricaneBen) January 6, 2025
The Browns now officially hold the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft after securing their sixth straight loss on Sunday. It marks the first time the team has had a top-5 pick since 2017 when they finished 0-16. The Browns selected Baker Mayfield that year, who showed splashes of brilliance in 2018. However, he also had to endure four different coaches in five years and eventually stagnated as a player before being traded to the Carolina Panthers.
Today, Mayfield has turned himself into one of the better quarterbacks in the league with Tampa Bay. It needs to be pointed out how bad the Browns are at developing quarterbacks. From 2003 to 2017, the Browns endured 14 different top passing quarterbacks by the end of the season. They are incredibly bad at getting sustained production out of the position.
When Watson joined the team, they believed he would be the savior they’d been waiting for. Despite the legal troubles, they signed him to a 5-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. However, this contract has backfired. Over three seasons, Watson has played in just 19 games. He can’t stay healthy, and the latest injury setback only reinforces that point.
But the Browns have put themselves in a great position to at least try to get out of the quarterback mud. Shedeur Sanders might go #1 to the Tennessee Titans, who are also in dire need of a quarterback. Though, if he doesn’t, the Browns will most assuredly scoop him up. Even if they don’t get Sanders, Cam Ward should be a great alternative. It’s hard to go wrong between the two. But Sanders will attract more attention.
It’s a sad reality for Watson, but one he likely saw coming. The Achilles injury is one of the most devastating for football players. While 75% of NFL players who sustain the injury end up playing again, that still leaves a significant quarter who don’t.
Watson will probably make a full recovery and end up as a backup in Cleveland or somewhere else. When he comes back, he probably won’t be the same player he once was. It’s brutal, but most players go through tough injury spells, and it ends up being their eventual downfall into retirement.
