Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Browns QB Deshaun Watson has been out of a walking boot for “several weeks” now following the Achilles tear he suffered last year and eventually reinjured.
According to Cabot, Watson has been throwing to receivers Jerry Jeudy and David Bell indoors at the Browns’ facility.
Watson is clearly focused on returning from the Achilles injury, but the Browns appear to be more focused on their other four quarterbacks including Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam previously implied that the team is turning the page on Watson’s time as the team’s starting quarterback after he referred to the trade as “a big swing and a miss” at the NFL Annual Meeting.
Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.
The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games.
Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons.
In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.
We will have more on Watson and the Browns as it becomes available.
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