Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland QB suffered season-ending Achilles tear on Sunday. But no matter which option he chooses, his recovery may have him back by Week 1 of next season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was in a familiar place on Monday after an MRI confirmed that he did indeed suffer a torn Achilles tendon during Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is the second year in a row that Watson’s season has come to an early conclusion due to injury. So now, while the Browns determine how to navigate the rest of the season at the quarterback position, Watson has his own decision to make regarding surgery to repair the injury, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, which has traditionally had an expected recovery time of nine months to a year.
Depending on where the tear is placed in the tendon, the two halves of the tendon can be sutured together, which was the case last fall with quarterback Kirk Cousins, who suffered a torn Achilles while still with the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins underwent surgery on November 1 and was able to start in Week 1 this season.
Another option could be for Watson to follow the lead of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles four plays into the 2023 season. Because his tear was in a different location, Rodgers was able to undergo what is known as a speed bridge operation to anchor the tendon to his heel bone.
According to a September 2023 article from The Athletic, that technique involves:
“… adding a sutured “bridge brace” over the top of the repair site. That extra support helps protect and stabilize the repair site so the patient can begin physical activity much earlier in the rehab process while the underlying repair heals securely, instead of staying immobile in a large cast for much longer to protect the tendon — the traditional method that often meant Achilles tears were nine- to 12-month recoveries if not longer. The internal brace helps protect the tendon from stretching or straining from movement as it heals.”
While he did not make it back onto the field in 2023, Rodgers did return to practice with the Jets at the end of November and, like Cousins, was in the starting lineup when this season opened in September.
The doctor who performed the surgery on Rodgers is Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who practices out of Los Angeles at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. If that name sounds familiar, it is because ElAttrache is the doctor who repaired Watson’s broken shoulder last fall.
No matter which surgical option Watson chooses, it is important to remember that everyone heals at a different rate there is no one set timetable that players, doctors, or coaches can consult to determine the rehab schedule.
But seeing how Rodgers and Cousins responded to their injuries, it should not surprise anyone if Watson is ruled fit and ready to go in time for the start of the 2025 NFL season.
That also means the debate...
