At this point, the Cleveland Browns are desperate for a change. They benched quarterback Joe Flacco earlier this year before eventually trading him to the Cincinnati Bengals. That allowed for their third-round pick, Dillon Gabriel, to start a few games.
Shedeur Sanders is still waiting his turn as Gabriel has struggled to get anything going. Cleveland knows they still have DeShaun Watson in their back pocket, but he’s been held back by injuries.
Cleveland Browns Still Can’t Open Watson’s 21-Day Window.
Watson, who re-tore his Achilles, hasn’t played an NFL game since October 20, 2024. The Browns went against the grain and decided to pay him $230 million despite not having played an NFL game from 2022-22. The former Houston Texans quarterback is one of the most polarizing figures in the league, but it’s not as if he’s proven himself worthy of the contract either.
Since signing with the Browns in 2022, Watson has appeared in just 19 games. He hasn’t played more than seven games in a season, illustrating the team’s limited reliance on him. His injury last year was yet another setback as Browns’ reporter Mary Kay Cabot discussed how close he is to returning.
“Watson is still awaiting medical clearance to practice after recovering from his re-torn Achilles, and the Browns hope to have a better sense of his timetable in the next week or two,” she said. “Once he’s medically cleared, the Browns will have the option of opening his 21-day practice window.”
Cabot clarified, “During that three-week span, they can activate him to the 53-man roster if they want to see him play. If not, he’ll remain on reserve/Physically Unable to Perform for the remainder of the season.”
Watson, who’s been through three surgeries, still wants to play football. The Browns would love for him to return to the field as they are set to pay him a $46M base salary next season. If anything, they’d rather him be 100% healthy for next year and not have to worry about another QB battle with an aging veteran and pair of rookies. That said, last year he had an F grade in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric.
Ultimately, the team needs someone reliable at quarterback. Watson has NFL experience, but he hasn’t been half the player he was back when he was with the Texans. At the end of the day, he’s this team’s $230M QB, and they’ll ride out his contract as long as they can.
