The Cleveland Browns announced on Friday the details of Deshaun Watson’s setback from his Achilles injury as the quarterback re-ruptured the tendon and required a second surgery on the connective tissue.
For the third time in as many seasons, Watson played less than half of the Browns’ contests.
Watson’s season was cut short by an injury for the second straight year, leading to questions about his durability in the NFL.
Friday’s announcement has increased the volume on his ability to play a full season in the NFL in the future.
Browns radio host Nick Wilson believes that Cleveland’s announcement regarding Watson has changed the conversation about his future significantly.
“We’ve gone from ‘will he ever suit for the Browns, again’ to ‘even if he wanted to, is he going to, physically, be able to come back,'” Wilson said of the quarterback.
"We've gone from 'will he ever suit for the Browns, again' to 'even if he wanted to, is he going to, physically, be able to come back'"@NickWilsonSays and @JPeterlin discuss whether #Browns QB Deshaun Watson's career is over following a second torn Achilles in three months pic.twitter.com/vZzlw5kkC0
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 10, 2025
The Browns had indicated that Watson would have competition for the starting job in 2025, appearing open to either drafting a quarterback or signing a free agent this offseason.
That conversation also changes as the Browns acknowledged in their announcement that Watson will miss a significant portion of the season due to this setback.
Wilson suggested that Watson’s injury “saved the Browns from their own devices” as the quarterback should not be available until late into the season at best.
“In the back of their minds, there would always be some sort of ‘Well, we’re paying him.’ You don’t have that now,” Wilson said.
Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are the only two quarterbacks signed beyond the 2024 NFL season, giving the franchise space to add multiple players to their quarterback room.
NEXT: Analyst Believes Browns Have Made A Decision About Drafting A QB
