Deshaun Watson Puts Pressure on Browns in New Video

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is eager to return to the field and showed off his latest progress in a few videos on social media.

Watson has been recovering from an Achilles injury. He initially suffered the injury in October but suffered a setback in January, requiring a second surgery. The Browns have yet to provide a firm timeline for Watson’s return but there’s a chance he’ll be healthy enough to be on the active roster at some point this season.

The latest videos showed Watson running and going through some passing drills with his personal quarterback coach, Quincy Avery.

“Seven months and we back at it,” Watson said. “MoreGLORY. ‘Small thing to a GIANT.'”

https://x.com/StainbrookNFL/status/1954990772836773894

Watson remains an expensive, but inactive, part of the Browns’ quarterback room. The Browns traded for Watson in 2022, quickly signing him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. His contract through the 2026 season.

The Watson experiment has been a failure in Cleveland. Owner Jimmy Haslam even dubbbed it a “swing and miss.” The former Pro Bowler has a 9-10 record as the starter in Cleveland, passing for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Browns Face Decision With Deshaun Watson Return Looming

If Watson is healthy enough to play this season, it could turn into a complicated situation for the Browns.

“At some point, he’ll be healthy. At some point, he’ll be cleared. What happens when he shows up with a piece of paper in hand that tells the world he’s ready to play?” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said. “The Browns may prefer to stash him on the physically unable to perform list for all of 2025. They owe him the money whether he’s on the roster or not. They qualify for maximum insurance coverage (and eventually cap relief) if he can’t play.”

The Browns are currently navigating a four-man quarterback competition that includes Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The team has said that carrying four quarterbacks on the roster is an option moving forward. But if Watson returns, it will force the Browns to make a tough decision.

Thanks to his fully guaranteed contract, the Browns cannot simply release Watson without incurring a record-setting dead-cap hit.

Despite his injury, Watson has remained around the Browns’ facility and has been a contibutor in the quarterback room. He even traveled to the team’s first preseason game in Carolina and was seen on the sideline.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson Wants to Return Better Than Ever

Few expect Watson to return to contention for the starting quarterback job in Cleveland. Still, through social media updates documenting his recovery, Watson has made it clear he remains focused on proving he can be a productive NFL quarterback again.

“Everyone is doubting me. Everyone don’t believe in me,” Watson said in a video posted in April. “Everyone don’t think I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe the work that I put in, that I believe in myself… I know, I’m gonna be way better than before.”

The road back will be steep. Achilles injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome — even more so after needing two surgeries. And Watson has also missed significant time in recent seasons with a shoulder injury.