Earlier this week, Browns GM Andrew Berry announced that Deshaun Watson suffered a “setback” during his recovery, giving little information about what happened with the quarterback.
Cleveland announced on Friday more details about Watson’s situation, sharing that the player had re-ruptured his Achilles tendon and required surgery on Thursday for a second repair.
The team also announced that Watson was likely to miss a significant portion of the season due to the setback.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport believes the situation could be more dire than the Browns initially suggested, adding that the setback now will increase the chances Cleveland will be looking for his replacement with their high draft pick in April.
“Now, there’s a very real chance he misses the entire 2025 season. The Browns picking number two in the draft, even more likely they’ll pick a quarterback,” Rapoport said.
Watson originally suffered a ruptured Achilles in October against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The player had surgery on October 25 to correct the issue, and he’s been rehabbing away from the team’s facility.
Cleveland had indicated before this week the team’s desire to bring in competition for the starting role in 2025, the first time since the Browns traded for him in 2022 the organization was looking open to a quarterback battle.
Watson is just 9-10 in Cleveland over the past three years as he’s failed to complete more than seven games in any season.
His season prematurely ended again this year, the second straight campaign he’s been shut down for medical reasons.
During that span, Watson has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.