Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s first season with the team started late in 2022 because of an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Multiple shoulder injuries ended his second season with the Browns by Week 11.
Watson said after he found out his season was over, “I’m still in disbelief. I’m still trying to process all the information.” He underwent surgery in November and is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
Deshaun Watson Has Been In and Out All Season
Watson and the Browns were playing well in the first three weeks of the season. He completed 63.7% of his passes with four touchdowns and two turnovers as the Browns won two of the first three games.
Watson’s first shoulder injury was a right rotator contusion injury during the Week 3 win against the Tennessee Titans. He was a limited participant in practice leading up to the next game and was ruled out after pregame warm-ups. Watson missed a second straight game in Week 6 after the Browns bye.
Watson was able to play again against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7, but a hard hit in the first quarter forced him out. After missing another game because of his shoulder, he returned to play against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland’s 27-0 win.
MORE: AFC North Playoff Scenarios and Standings
In Week 10, Watson had one of his best moments as a member of the Browns when he rallied the team from a 15-point second-half deficit to defeat the Baltimore Ravens. The next day, he found out that season-ending surgery was needed to fix a fracture in his shoulder. Watson’s completed 61.4% of his passes with seven touchdowns and four interceptions in six games this season.
Watson said after his season ended, “I felt like we were turning a corner to really make a run and still believe we still will with the guys in this locker room. I just wanted to physically be a part of it. It’s tough to try to wrap everything around my head right now.”
Watson’s Replacements
The Browns were 6-3 when Watson’s season ended and they turned to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was drafted in the fifth round. The team signed Joe Flacco to the practice squad a week after Watson’s injury.
In two starts, Thompson-Robinson completed 52.8% of his passes for 299 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He suffered a concussion in the second game against the Denver Broncos.
Flacco took over as the starting QB in Week 13 and has started the last four games. He has thrown for at least two touchdowns in each game and has thrown for over 300 yards three times. With Flacco as a starter, the Browns have won three of four games and are currently in the Wild Card spot at 10-5.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
