Dawgs By Nature
Could Deshaun Watson return? Anything is possible but its unlikely to matter for Browns
Never say never. It’s pretty obvious that the Deshaun Watson era for the Cleveland Browns fell flat on its face. For some reason, Watson never was able to recapture his Houston Texans form as he dealt with suspension (his first year in Cleveland, he missed half the season) or injuries (suffering two season-ending problems).
It felt as if everything seemed too difficult for Watson to play the quarterback position as he struggled in a massive way, and it seemed he wasn’t in the right mental state. With a QB battle between four underway, Watson is the odd man out.
Watson suffered a torn Achilles in the team’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in October and while recovering from it, he suffered a setback in his recovery process. The odds of Watson making any form of return to football are slim, but a recent article (and radio interview) from Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot has detailed Watson trying to make a return to the football field.
As she reported in her article, Watson has been out of the walking boot for several weeks and he was at the facility throwing to wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and David Bell:
So it begs the question: Will Deshaun Watson make a return to the football field this season?
Let’s start with the obvious. The Browns currently have four active quarterbacks on their roster. Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Considering how the Browns drafted two rookies, the odds of Watson getting reps over Sanders and Gabriel are unlikely, considering that those two need the necessary reps.
Second, Watson is coming off an Achilles injury and he also suffered a setback while recovering. Recovering from an Achilles injury takes several months to a year, and at the earliest, he would come back in October, while the season has already started. The amount of hurdles he would have to go through just to get cleared to do on-field activity, also having to learn another offense, would be time-consuming.
Fans might have an issue with Watson being in the facility, but his teammates don’t seem to mind, and the team is not able to ban him from being there.
Despite owner Jimmy Haslam admitting the trade for Watson was a “swing and miss,” the only question is whether he is placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list (officially ending his 2025 season) or the team waits to place him on Injured Reserve (keeping open the slim chance he can play this year).
Anyone expecting Watson’s time with the Browns to end quietly is not going to get their wish with Cabot’s reporting this so earlier in the process.
