Quarterback Deshaun Watson looked like he suffered a serious knee injury during the Cleveland Browns’ 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.
Watson abruptly fell to his knees after dropping back to pass during the second quarter of Sunday’s game. He was visibly in pain and carted off the field shortly after.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport confirmed those beliefs on Monday, revealing Watson tore his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
It marks Watson’s third straight year since joining the Browns in 2022 that he won’t play the entire season due to suspension or injury. It also raises the question of whether Watson has played his final down with Cleveland.
The 29-year-old has not only played in just 19 games the past three years, but he hasn’t played well when he has been healthy, passing for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Watson’s 9-10 record was not what the Browns were likely imagining when they traded a king’s ransom, which included three first-round picks, for him and then signed him to a five-year, $230M fully guaranteed contract.
However, the team is now forced to move on without him for the rest of this season and maybe for good, depending on how the rest of the season plays out.
That could be difficult to do since Watson is due to make $92M over the next two seasons ($46M in 2025 and 2026). But if the season were to end today, Cleveland would have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
That would put the team in a great position to land a quarterback if it is ready to move on. This year’s quarterback draft class doesn’t seem to be as stacked as last year’s, but it could still be worth hitting the refresh button.
In the meantime, the Browns will role with quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston, who threw for a combined 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on Sunday.
Neither will likely increase Cleveland’s chances to contend this season, which makes it more likely the team will end the year with a high draft pick.
The Browns have been unwilling to admit that their decision to go all in on Watson was a terrible idea. Maybe his injury will allow them to finally come to terms with that over the last 11 weeks of the season.
Cleveland hosts the Baltimore Ravens (4-2) in Week 8.
