The name “Deshaun Watson” is always going to turn heads when said.
The controversial 30-year-old quarterback is still working to get back up to speed and return to the field for the Cleveland Browns following back-to-back Achilles injuries. It’s been more than a year since he last suited up for the Browns, but there’s still hope from Watson that he will be able to get on the field in the 2025 campaign.
This season, the Browns have been shifting back and forth between rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as the team’s starting signal caller. While at the moment, neither has been able to truly prove they are Cleveland’s long-term option, there’s still hope one of them can be.
But just years ago, the front office thought they had made a move with the Houston Texans for their franchise quarterback in Watson.
After trading a ton of draft picks, three first-rounders, one third-rounder and two fourth-rounders, the Browns brought in the then 27-year-old. However, he did very little in his time on the field, struggling to find a rhythm between injuries and suspensions.
Across 19 games as a Brown, he tossed for 3,365 yards 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 61.2% completion rate. Each statistical category possible was levels worse than what he had done while in Houston.
So, will he ever get a shot to suit back up in the orange and brown?
Right now, it seems not.
On Monday, Dec. 1, the Browns held a press conference with head coach Kevin Stefanski speaking to the media. When asked about the current recovery and future of Watson, he failed to provide an update and was unwilling to expand further.
“I don’t have an update there,” he said.
Just a few weeks back, a similar situation occurred.
At a mid-November press conference, Stefanski was asked about the organization’s goals with Watson and if the Browns want to see him back on the field. The 43-year-old coach said he did not have an update.
However, he has been seen a lot around the Browns’ facilities and on the sidelines in recent weeks. Most notably, since Sanders took over the reins as the starting quarterback, Watson has been coaching him up.
Each time the former Colorado Buffalo comes off the field, he walks the way of Watson in order to gain feedback and go over film. That leadership on the sideline might open doors for him to remain on the positive side of the coaching staff, but it still seems like most of the Browns’ organization at large is on the fence.
While Stefanski hasn’t provided much, quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave gave a positive update on Watson last month.
“I know he wants to play a lot of football again,” Musgrave said. “He feels like he’s got a lot of tread left on his tires.”
Currently, Watson remains on injured reserve and must be cleared to practice before he can return to the team. Then, the Browns will have the decision on whether or not to activate him.
From there, he would have to get up to speed on both the mental and physical side of football, followed by the coaching staff deciding to move him ahead of both rookie quarterbacks in the depth chart.
It’s obvious that Watson’s a competitor and wants to return to the field, but if Sanders is getting the job done, there may not be an avenue for him to get a chance.
