We may have seen the last of Deshaun Watson in a Cleveland Browns uniform this season, and maybe forever. The former Clemson Tiger was carted off the field at Huntington Bank Field late in the first half of the Browns' 21-14 loss to the Bengals with an Achilles tear.
Watson appeared to have suffered a non-contact injury when he stepped forward in the pocket and crumbled to the turf holding his ankle. Coach Kevin Stefanski didn't declare his starting quarterback done for the season after the game, but he said it's a possibility as the team is awaiting test results.
“Really, really disappointing,” Stefanski said.
Watson's time in Cleveland has been marred by off-the-field legal issues, poor play and injuries since arriving in 2022. He covered his head with a towel as he rode the cart into the locker room. Before leaving the field, players from both teams surrounded him and offered support.
Browns defensive star Myles Garrett called out the fans who cheered when Watson went down.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves,” Garrett said. “No one deserves that.”
Watson signed a $230 million, fully guaranteed contract after being traded from the Houston Texans for three first-round draft picks.
He was suspended for the first 11 games in 2022 for violations to the NFL's personal conduct policy after multiple women charged him with sexual assault during massage therapy sessions. Watson then made six starts last year and appeared to be returning to Pro Bowl form before his season ended with a shoulder injury.
Before leaving the game on Sunday, he was 15-of-17 for 128 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions
The Browns will now decide on a replacement. Dorian Thompson-Robinson came into the game after Watson left, but didn't play well and threw two interceptions before leaving the game with a finger injury.
Emergency No. 3 quarterback Jameis Winston relieved Thompson-Robinson and led Cleveland to a touchdown and two-point conversion before a failed onside kick attempt ended the Browns' comeback attempt.
