The Cleveland Browns defense is going to have to carry the entire team if it hopes to accomplish anything other than tanking for a quarterback this season, but that prospect becomes more and more difficult to envision with each crushing injury.
Second-year linebacker Nathaniel Watson sustained a season-ending biceps injury at some point during the week, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“2024 sixth-round pick Nathaniel Watson, who had three tackles for a loss in the preseason victory over the [Philadelphia] Eagles, has been placed on injured reserve for the season with a torn biceps,” Cabot reported on Thursday, August 21. “Watson practiced on Wednesday, meaning he may have suffered the injury during practice. He’s the third linebacker to exit the roster this season, with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah … on IR for the season with a neck injury, and veteran Jordan Hicks retiring earlier this month.”
Watson appeared in 14 games for Cleveland last season, earning one start. He played just 55 defensive snaps but participated in 243 snaps for the special teams unit, per Pro Football Reference.
Watson finished his rookie season year with 14 combined tackles and one pass deflection, though his role on defense may well have expanded in 2025 had he remained healthy.
Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah May Never Play in NFL Again
GettyLinebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of the Cleveland Browns.
Owusu-Koramoah was the heart of the linebacking corps and a Pro Bowler in 2023. He suffered his neck injury during a contest against the Baltimore Ravens during the middle of last season and has been out ever since. It is possible that the former second-round pick will never play another down of NFL football.
“Right now, if you take out the undrafted rookies, at this moment there are only 25 players under contract for 2026,” Zac Jackson of The Athletic said on the July 22 edition of the “Go Long” podcast. “And of those 25, one is Deshaun Watson at a cap number of $80 million. One is [Owusu-Koramoah] who is likely to never play again.”
Starting outside cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. isn’t facing that dire of an injury situation, though a torn Achilles tendon he suffered earlier in the preseason will sideline him for the entirety of the 2025 campaign.
Browns Rookie LB Carson Schwesinger Now Faces Even More Pressure in 2025 After Nathaniel Watson’s Injury
GettyCleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
Cleveland’s current depth chart lists Mohamoud Diabate, Devin Bush and rookie Carson Schwesinger as the three starting linebackers.
The Browns drafted Schwesinger with the first overall pick in the second round back in April as a hedge against Owusu-Koramoah making it back. It now appears likely the UCLA product will need to step into a significant role in the starting lineup in his first game as a professional.
“Despite a massive need for playmakers on offense, the Browns kicked off Day 2 by taking Schwesinger, a 2024 first-team All-American,” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote on April 26. “If Owusu-Koramoah remains sidelined, Schwesinger could compete to be an early starter in the middle of the Browns’ defense.”
The unit as a whole will also face the added pressure of less original depth behind the starters following Hicks’ departure and Watson’s injury.
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