Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the remainder of the season after an MRI confirmed he tore his Achilles on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced Monday.
Watson’s noncontact injury occurred late in the second quarter when he attempted to push off his leg while running. He immediately fell to the ground and was carted off the field shortly after.
“Disappointed for him,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said postgame, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “Any of our guys that you lose, you’re disappointed because you know much this means to them and how hard they work. It’s tough.”
Cleveland’s offense struggled with Watson at the helm this season, sitting dead last in offensive success rate, according to Ben Baldwin’s database. The veteran signal-caller ranks last in quarterback rating and 31st out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA generated.
The Browns traded three first-round picks and two Day 2 selections to the Houston Texans for Watson in 2022. They immediately signed Watson to a five-year, $230-million fully guaranteed contract that runs through the end of the 2026 season. He has $72-million-plus cap hits over the next two years, according to Over The Cap.
Watson is 9-10 in 19 starts during his tenure in Cleveland, throwing for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Out of 30 quarterbacks who have played 750 snaps since 2022, Watson ranks 29th in completion percentage only behind Zach Wilson.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson stepped in for the injured Watson on Sunday but left the game with a finger injury and was replaced by Jameis Winston. X-rays came back negative on Thompson-Robinson’s finger, but the team is waiting on MRI results to determine the severity of the issue, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
The Browns are 1-6 and will face off against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.
