Deshaun Watson‘s second Browns campaign (and first one with full-season availability) did not go according to plan. Recurring injuries left the Pro Bowl quarterback in and out of the lineup before he was ultimately shut down for the year. A key step in his rehab is not far away, though. 
Watson is set to resume throwing in March, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. He continues to recover from surgery which took place in November and marked an end to his campaign. A number of issues emerged in his throwing shoulder over the course of the campaign, though Cabot notes that only the fractured glenoid bone – rather than Watson’s strained rotator cuff – was surgically repaired.
When speaking about Cleveland’s QB situation last month, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson was on track to take part in the team’s offseason program in April. Today’s update points further in that direction, and Cabot adds that Watson may be ahead of schedule in his recovery. Managing to put together a full campaign next year will be an obvious goal for team and player in this situation.
Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the season in 2022, and his level of play upon activation left plenty to be desired. He took a step forward this year, but his season-ending ailment left the Browns in need of multiple replacement options under center. Midseason signing Joe Flacco helped provide stability and guide the team to the postseason, boosting his free agent value in the process. Watson will, to no surprise, serve as Cleveland’s starter in 2024.
Before the season kicks off, though, adjustments to the 28-year-old’s contract will need to be made. Watson is due to carry a cap hit of just under $64MM in each of the final three years of his fully-guaranteed deal. That figure would easily set a new NFL record in terms of single-season cap hits, but a restructure or extension would lower it for the time being. Financial moves will be worth watching in the near future in Watson’s case, but a positive development on the health front is also forthcoming.
Worst trade and contract extension in the history of sports.
Worst franchise in the history of sports….
Your history of sports is sorely lacking.
One of the worst people in sports.
It’s not. There’s only like 3 sports that matter. Outside of those no one cares.
Professional sports leagues have been around longer than 25 years, FYI.
And like I said ,only 3 sports matter. Football more than any of them.
They’re not as worse as the Jets
The Jets have a super bowl. The Browns do not.
The only thing the Browns have a leg on the Jets is that they aren’t in the cesspool area of NY/NJ. Cleveland may be a dump, but no where is worse than NY/NJ.
Can’t disagree with that statement
Who cares. I’d rather have Baker back, Flacco, Weeden, even Johnny. If f nothing else to avoid the future embarrassment this team has put me through since Art left Cleveland.
You are a good fan b00gie.
Im not sure how I could have retained my enthusiasm for my team had this happened to my Bills.
I appreciate fans who can be critical of their team. The Browns going out of their way to give that a guy a guaranteed contract is pretty absurd, and your feelings might mirror mine if the roles were reversed.
I hear you. I grew up on the 80’s-90’s Skins winning lots of games & SB’s.
Then Dan bought the team…I forget how long I stayed a fan, but around year 5-6 with Dan ruining them, I gave up hope. And not a chance I’m going to root for the mighty Commanders(!).
So you don’t care about Deshaun Watson, but you care about “future embarrassment” the Browns have put you through since Modell moved our team??? So you’re not concerned about the health of the starting quarterback of your team, but are concerned that others may think less of you because they might not be successful?? Sounds like you have some maturing to do. And you’re willing to have the same guys who were previously unsuccessful (“Baker, Weeden, and even Johnny”) and partly responsible for your “embarrassment” play quarterback instead of Watson?? Did you actually think about what you were writing before you hit “Post Comment??” One more thing: you aren’t the only Browns fan who has been frustrated by their performance since 1999. It doesn’t seem like you’re aware of that.
I have three daughters this man is an embarrassment. I’ll admit future was a typo, further was intended. As a guy who’s backed Cleveland since kosar, the drive, the fumble, I have a right to criticize.
At some point I think the browns should draft a QB of the future 1st or 2nd round and let him sit for 1-2 years like the pack did with miss Rodgers and Love. Watson clearly isn’t the answer long term in Cleveland.
Houston is still spending Cleveland’s draft picks from the trade. To make a draft maneuver to secure a QB for the future would be making a bad trade worse. At this point they need to draft to support what you have and try to make a strong playoff push.
They could draft a late round QB and hope for a Purdy. Watson was a career .500 QB with an injury history when they traded for him. That isn’t great without the “being a terrible” human part that comes with this guy. Yikes!
> “A key step in his rehab is not far away, though.”
I hope that key rehab step doesn’t involve massages.
Meh.