Sportsnaut
Last season ended early for Deshaun Watson after he tore his Achilles tendon just seven games into the year. Watson’s long road to recovery had a wrench thrown onto the path when he re-tore that same surgically repaired Achilles, requiring another surgery on January 10.
Now, Watson is set to begin the 2025 NFL season on the Physically Unable to Perform or PUP list. With that, he’ll be required to miss the first four weeks of the regular season. The Browns will then have a five-week window to evaluate Watson during practice and decide when or if their then-30-year-old quarterback will be activated to the active roster.
If Watson isn’t ready to go during that five-week evaluation timeline, he’ll remain sidelined for the entire season. However, Cleveland.com’s Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reports that Watson may be ready to practice as soon as October.
While she maintains that it would be an “extreme longshot” for Watson to land on the active roster at any point during the upcoming season, it’s worth noting that the Browns have not ruled him out. Considering the rapid progress he’s made, it’s probably wise not to deaden his momentum, especially for a QB-needy team like the Browns.
While Watson may or may not contribute, the Browns already have a loaded room of competition, starting with former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, who brings 17 years of NFL experience with him. Plus, Flacco is the only one with previous experience operating head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense, aside from Watson.
Then, the Browns took a chance on a reclamation project with former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, hoping he can develop into a plus-starter in Cleveland. But that’s not all.
The Browns also took a chance on Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, hoping at least one of them can develop into a backup at the very least. If all goes well, the Browns may even find a future franchise quarterback in that bunch.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Where do the Cleveland Browns rank?
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