Out for the remainder of the 2024 campaign due to his Achilles tear, Deshaun Watson‘s attention will soon turn to rehab. The Browns’ starting quarterback is set to undergo surgery in the near future. 
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports Watson is currently giving thought to the ‘speed bridge’ procedure as an alternative to the traditional Achilles repair. In recent years, the new technique has allowed for players to return to practice along a shorter timeline, as evidenced last season by Aaron Rodgers. The procedure (whichever form it ultimately takes) will begin Watson’s process of returning to full health with an eye on the 2025 campaign.
The 29-year-old’s Cleveland tenure has included a number of sub-par performances, but it has also been defined by missed time. Watson was sidelined for the first 11 games of the 2022 season through suspension, and a shoulder injury limited him to only six contests last year. The surgery which shut him down last season was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who will likely handle Watson’s upcoming Achilles procedure. Either way, his campaign will be brought to an end after less than seven full games played.
When on the field, Watson has not managed to reclaim his previous form. The three-time Pro Bowler faced massive expectations given the package (including three first-round picks) Cleveland paid to acquire him from the Texans along with the fully-guaranteed contract which convinced him to join the Browns. Another two years remain on that $230MM pact, with $92MM still owed. The team’s consecutive offseason restructures has Watson on track for record-breaking cap hits ($72.94MM) in 2025 and ’26, and any kind of extension to flatten those figures would be difficult to justify given his growing list of injuries and subpar play. For that reason, a trade to get out of the contract would of course be unfeasible.
Cleveland is set to receive a small cap credit next year based on the $13.9MM portion of Watson’s 2024 compensation which is insured (h/t CBS Sports’ Joel Corry). Still, that will offer little reprieve in terms of the issue presented by the pact and Watson’s inability to meet expectations so far. While some of the contract is still insured for next year, Corry notes that is not the case for 2026. Team and player thus have plenty of incentive to avoid any further lengthy absences.
While Watson weighs his options, the Browns will move forward with Dorian Thompson-Robinson (provided he does not require a lengthy stint on the sidelines from the finger injury he suffered yesterday) and Jameis Winston under center. The pecking order between the two switched ahead of Week 7, and it will be interesting to see how it shakes out over the remainder of the season.
Here’s to a speedy recovery to the “model citizen“ who is above criticism because we all live in glass houses and who knows how many women we all have assaulted in our lives.
I wish I could say doing the right thing was important in this world, but…
At least, for once…in this one example, the Browns sure as **** should have.
Sown and reaped.
Maybe they can look to see if he has a conscience or any morals while digging around.
Watson is estatic that he has to resume his physical therapy and get more happy endings.
I wonder if a “Massage” comes with the surgery ?
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Why can’t they find a cold-weather QB to play in Cleveland? They have this fixation on guys who’ve never experienced a winter on the lake, and they wonder why they continually lose? They had a chance to draft Josh Allen and passed? What a bunch of idjits.