For the remainder of the 2024 campaign, the Browns will not have Deshaun Watson available at quarterback. His Week 7 Achilles tear will require season-ending surgery and lead to further speculation about how Cleveland will proceed at the position. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski noted Watson will undergo surgery this week to begin his rehab process. On that point, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports Watson is expected to have Packers team physician Dr. Robert Anderson perform the procedure. She adds that while consideration was given to the ‘speed bridge’ option which offers a shorter recovery timeline, the traditional operation is likely in this case. With Watson not in consideration to heal before the end of the season, the latter path is a sensible one.
A full recovery is expected for Watson, whose three-year Browns tenure has seen him play only 19 games. In the wake of this year’s struggles, Stefanski repeatedly offered public endorsements of the three-time Pro Bowler as Cleveland’s starter, stating that keeping Watson atop the depth chart was a call on his part and not that of ownership. Today, Stefanski offered further positive reviews of the 29-year-old but did not confirm Watson will hold the QB1 title once he is healthy in 2025.
“Obviously I believe in Deshaun, but I also think it’s important just to acknowledge that he just had a bad injury and a bad break for him and we’re feeling bad for him,” Stefanski said. “[I] know that he’ll bounce back, but not getting into all those things down the road. I’m looking forward to him getting the surgery and obviously getting his body back.”
Two years and $92MM in fully-guaranteed compensation remains on Watson’s pact, one which has been restructured multiple times. The resultant cap charges will make it difficult to continue with Watson absent any further adjustments, but cutting or trading him is not feasible. Stefanski noted (via Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand) the Browns will add a quarterback to fill the vacancy created by Watson’s injury, but it remains to be seen what role a new signal-caller will have to close out the season.
2023 fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson and free agent addition Jameis Winston remain as Cleveland’s healthy quarterbacks. A change in the backup pecking order allowed for Thompson-Robinson to take over after Watson went down, although he suffered a finger injury which forced him to leave the contest as well. Testing on the 24-year-old’s injury will take place to determine if surgery is required; Stefanski noted Thompson-Robinson should be available at some point but his Week 8 status is in question (h/t Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal).
Winston might be needed during at least the short-term future as a result. The former Buccaneer and Saint has 80 starts to his name, and as a pending free agent he has plenty of incentive to deliver a strong showing and boost his market value. Of course, Winston could find himself competing for playing time with the Browns in 2025 depending on Watson’s health status and how the team views his grip on the starting gig once he is back in the fold.
if you feel bad for Watson you are a clown.
Seems like the Browns were trying to lose…sticking with Watson through horrible play and then keeping Winston as third string when he offers the best chance at providing offense. Now what? Find someone off the street to start instead????
And Flacco isn’t available!
Johnny Manziel and DeShone Kizer are patiently waiting by the phone 🙂
I think the plan had Watson not gotten hurt was to trade Winston so that’s why he was the emergency QB. As for trying to lose I think the mindset of at least ownership was they bet the farm for Watson, if he didn’t improve the team was dead meat and in for a long rebuild regardless. I will say while Watson certainly was awful, he wasn’t alone in his terrible play, and I don’t think Flacco, Winston, DTR, or even prime Tom Brady would have succeeded behind that line, with that running game, and with receivers struggling to catch the balls that hit them in the hands. Team missed it’s window by bailing on Baker for Watson, trade everyone and start over.
Or trade for Flacco! Wouldn’t that be something to add to the misery. Give up picks for something they could’ve had for free. That would be soooo Browns.
Publicly demoting Winston before losing the two other QBs to injury has to be the most Browns move ever. What a vote of confidence he has going into next week’s game.
Tanking.
You really have to wonder what the heck has happened to Winston’s skills if he lost the backup job to DTR.
I think they wanted to avoid the chants to put Jameis in over Deshaun Watson. But Watson just solved that problem.
Blaine Gabbert or Ryan Tannahill
Tannehill isn’t a bad thought, but he probably is not interested. He was particular about which teams he was taking calls from, apparently, and it allegedly wasn’t all simply about the availability of a starting spot.
who will be the next browns qb off the “tim ” couch?
I know that the season seems lost and Watson is married to Cleveland for the next couple of years, but it’s a bit early to start asking about next year’s starter. We really need to see what team will look like first, and where the Browns end up in the draft to get a halfway decent idea of what the answer even might be.