Deshaun Watson has a chance to play football before the end of 2025.
The Browns announced on Wednesday they’ve opened Watson’s 21-day practice window, giving the veteran quarterback three weeks to prove he’s healthy enough to return to game action this season.
“Excited for him,” coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday. “His focus, my focus is obviously getting him back to playing football, practicing football, which he hasn’t done in over a year. It’s a good next step for him. But our focus, obviously, continues to remain on the Tennessee Titans.”
The development is surprising for a number of reasons that begins with timing. Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury midway through the 2024 season and re-injured himself after having it surgically repaired, theoretically eliminating him from a serious chance of returning in 2025. It appears he’s outperformed the projected timeline after being cleared for practice.
Wednesday’s news, however, should be handled cautiously. Cleveland does not have to activate Watson to the active roster at all and is now entering a defined window in which Watson must prove he’s healthy and capable enough to play and be worthy of a roster spot. If the window closes without activation, Watson would revert to the physical unable to perform (PUP) list for the remainder of what is another lost season for the Browns (3-9).
It sounds as if the Browns aren’t quite gearing up for a return to game action in the same fashion the Bengals prepared Joe Burrow over the last month.
“Really not my focus, not his focus right this minute,” Stefanski said when asked if the organization wanted Watson on the field again. “His focus is putting a helmet on again for the first time, shoulder pads, throwing a football. That’s where the focus is.”
