Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent an MRI following his team’s 21-14 loss to Cincinnati Sunday which revealed a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot. The injury will sideline the QB for the remainder of the 2024 NFL campaign.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that Watson would undergo surgery this week, but stopped short of providing any kind of timeline for the signal caller’s return to action.
“We feel bad for Deshaun,” Stefanski said. “In this case, feel bad to lose him for the season. And we also know as a football team, this is where you have to step up. Guys have to step up, and that’s just how it goes.”
With Watson out, it’s likely that Cleveland adds a quarterback to its roster this week for depth purposes. Backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson is currently dealing with an injury to a finger on his throwing hand, which leaves former Bucs QB Jameis Winston as the only fully healthy quarterback on the Browns’ roster at the moment.
Stefanski was mum on who would be under centre this weekend as the team prepares to host the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North divisional clash.
The injury brings an end to another disappointing season for Watson in Cleveland. The former Texans standout was acquired by the Browns prior to the 2022 NFL campaign when the team traded three first-round picks to Houston and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
He suffered a displaced fracture in his right shoulder that required him to miss the final eight games after season-ending surgery last November, and will now finish his 2024 season after only 7 contests. The 29 year old posted the lowest QBR total out of all qualified passers, leading many to speculate whether Stefanski would consider a QB change even without an injury.
Fans in Cleveland made their opinions known online and on local call in shows for the past several weeks, culminating in a rather ugly display from a portion of fans on Sunday who cheered when the cart came onto the field for Watson. That showing didn’t go unnoticed by Browns personnel who expressed their displeasure after the game.
“We don’t boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” Myles Garrett said after the game. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall.”
Stefanski echoed those thoughts telling reporters “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.”
Sitting at 1-6 and currently without a starting QB, Cleveland fans could be in for a long second half of the season over the next several weeks.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.