Deshaun Watson may not see the field this season, but the Cleveland Browns plan to keep him around for at least another year, per a prominent team insider.
Watson has been recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, which has sidelined him for over a year. He initially suffered the injury in October of last year. Watson had a setback in January that required a second surgery, resetting his return timeline.
In recent weeks, the Browns have faced routine questions about when Watson will be designated for a return to practice. However, insider Mary Kay Cabot believes the team has little interest in taking that risk this season — especially with Watson sidelined for more than a year.
“My feeling right now, in a perfect world, they’ll wait until the offseason to put him on the practice field. They have to be careful that this is a revision of an Achilles and there isn’t a great reason to throw him into a football game on just three weeks of practice when he’s been out for so incredibly long. I think they’d like to bring him back slowly in OTAs, minicamp and not rush him into anything this year,” Cabot said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. “There might be a world where they decide, let’s open the window, put him on the practice field and see what he can do. He’d absolutely love that. He feels ready to go. But I think they’ll be very, very careful with him.”
Deshaun Watson to Remain With Browns Next Season
The good news for Watson is that he’ll almost certainly be on the roster next season with another chance to prove himself, per Cabot. His fully guaranteed $230 million contract, signed after the 2022 trade, runs through next year, making any move to cut or trade him financially crippling for the Browns.
“He will be on the team next year, definitely. He will be here,” Cabot said. “There are too many cap considerations for him to get cut or anything like that. He will be around.”
What the Browns quarterback situation will look like at that point is uncertain. Cleveland has already rolled with three different quarterbacks this season — Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who will draw his first start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Browns also hold two first-round picks, which they could use to draft their future franchise quarterback. At 2-8, the Browns have a
Shedeur Sanders Eager to Be ‘The Guy’ for Browns
Sanders will get his first crack at proving he can be the answer for the Browns long-term on Sunday. His first NFL action did not go great. He stepped in for an injured Gabriel at the half and completed just four passes for 47 yards with an interception.
But Sanders is ready to put that behind him and feels like he has the right mindset heading into the matchup.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy. I did everything I need to. I’m doing everything I need to prepare to be the best version of myself as possible,” Sanders said on Wednesday. “With the circumstances, everything got me sped up, and that’s great. I like pressure in life. I’m just excited for everything. So, I feel like I’m the guy, I know I’m the guy, but you just have to be able to see. The game got to speak.”
Watson has remained around the facility during his recovery. He’s been a resource for the team’s young quarterbacks, including Sanders, who he took “under his wing.”
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