Most of the focus in Cleveland is on their four-man quarterback competition, but QB Deshaun Watson continues to rehab from a torn Achilles.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, league sources believe Watson could be ready to practice around October. She says “it remains to be seen” if the Browns would open his practice window that early, as it would only be around nine months post-operation.
Kay Cabot also mentions the positive reviews teammates and coaches have given Watson during the offseason program. Specifically, third-round QB Dillon Gabriel raved about Watson’s presence as a mentor and cheerleader in the competition.
“He’s been a guy I’ve connected with as well, and he’s actually a guy I sit by in our O-line meetings, even in our offensive unit meetings,” Gabriel said. “So just being able to be around him and nudge him and ask a question, whether it’s for confirmation or his thought, but also when we’re talking through concepts, I think it’s super cool that we do have five guys in the room that kind of can speak to their own experience and even Deshaun this morning, talking through a concept and kind of how he sees it in the red area. It can change the play in a big way, just how you think of it. So appreciate him a bunch too. Just sharing all his knowledge.”
Still, Kay Cabot doesn’t think Watson will play a snap for the Browns in 2026.
“It seems like an enormous longshot for him to land on the active roster this season, let alone set foot in a game,” Kay Cabot said.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam previously implied that the team is turning the page on Watson’s time as the team’s starting quarterback after he referred to the trade as “a big swing and a miss” at the NFL Annual Meeting.
Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.
The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games.
Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons.
In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.
We will have more on Watson and the Browns as it becomes available.
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