Deshaun Watson Injury And Impact On Cleveland Browns Future

The Deshaun Watson expirement with the Cleveland Browns has continually proven to be a failure. The quarterback appeared in just 12 games over the course of his first two seasons with Cleveland due to both a suspension and a shoulder injury.

This came after Watson was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2022 season. He ultimately signed a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract to help facilitate the trade. The obvious backdrop here was Watson settling with two dozen women who had accused the former Clemson star of sexual misconduct.

Obviously, Watson was going to be under a microscope the minute the three-time Pro Bowler took his first snap with Cleveland in 2022. That was magnified further heading into Sunday’s home date with the Cincinnti Bengals. Watson and the Browns’ entered the game with a 1-5 record.

Talk has surrounded head coach Kevin Stefanski benching the high-priced quarterback. Though, he pushed back against that possibility following last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, Stefanski will be forced to go in a different direction at quarterback moving forward. Watson suffered a serious lower-body injury late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals. Almost immediately, attention turned to the possibility that Watson tore his Achilles’. It’s something Stefanski touched on after the game, pretty much confirming that the Browns do indeed believe Watson suffered a torn Achilles.

"Obviously, it doesn't look good with the injury," Stefanski told reporters after the game, via ESPN. "So, I'll give him a call here in a little but ... disappointed for him. Any of our guys that you lose, you're disappointed because you know much this means to them and how hard they work. It's tough."

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Injuries of this ilk typically lead to about a calendar year of rehab. Short-term, the Browns are pretty much stuck with what they have at quarterback.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson under center Sunday. But he also exited with what could be a long-term finger injury. Veteran Jameis Winston ultimately took over and led the Browns to a touchdown in his short time under center.

The scene itself was ugly in Cleveland, with fans cheering Watson’s injury. Regardless of how you feel about a quarterback or a player, that represents amateur hour. Browns players agreed. Stefanski did, too.

"I don't think it's ever OK to cheer when someone's injured. I'm sure it's not every person in the building doing that, but that's disappointing,” the Browns’ head coach told reporters.

This came after Watson was booed by Browns fans during pre-game introductions. Again, it was an absolutely ugly scene.

Cleveland Browns Next Move After Deshaun Watson Injury

At 1-6 on the season, these Browns are going nowhere fast. It makes sense to rely on either Thompson-Robinson or Winston under center moving forward. For Cleveland, it’s not about how the remainder of the season plays out. It’s more about the long-term impact of Watson’s injury.

The 29-year-old quarterback is under contract through the 2026 season. His combined cap hits for those two seasons is a resounding $145-plus million. These are the baseline financials of Watson’s contract. But there is a lot more to it.

Cleveland would be faced with a $118.94 million dead cap hit if the team were to release Watson after this season. Said figure stands at $53.84 million after the 2025 campaign.

It’s highly unlikely that the Browns would take such a huge dead cap hit this coming offseason. The likelier scenario is that Cleveland rosters him next season and moves on from the quarterback ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Cleveland Browns Could Now Tank For A Quarterback

Cleveland currently finds itself in position to land a high first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

On the surface, it would not make sense to exhaust a top-three selection on a signal caller with the money Watson is owed moving forward. That’s just on the surface.

If the Browns could land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, it would help off-set what Watson is owed. That is to say, a signal caller playing under a rookie contract. Assuming everything plays out as expected, said quarterback’s second contract wouldn’t come until Watson is completely off the Browns’ books.

Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Cam Ward (Miami) and Carson Beck (Georgia) are all names to watch in this regard.

What I do know is that Watson has possibly played his final snap in a Browns uniform. If so, it will go down as one of the worst trades and contracts in NFL history.