Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns’ maligned quarterback, is making a serious comeback. He suffered a rollback in his recuperation from his ruptured right Achilles tendon just recently. Watson was first injured in October. He then unfortunately had to have a second operation in January after re-injuring the tendon by rolling his ankle. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he is pleased with Watson’s progress in rehab. He has not provided any timeline for returning.
The Browns acquired Watson in a significant trade with the Houston Texans, sending three first-round picks to secure the quarterback’s services. Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract, the first of its kind to be fully guaranteed. This trade brought with it $173 million in dead cap hits. The franchise still owes him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
The one constant of Watson’s Browns tenure has been chaos. He was hit with an 11-game suspension in 2022 stemming from allegations of sexual assault and other inappropriate conduct during massage therapy appointments. Since coming to Cleveland, he’s made just 19 starts and his results have been alarming enough to worry the fanbase and pundits alike. His Total QBR of 34.2 since his debut would rank as the second-worst among all qualifying quarterbacks.
Even with the troubles that have followed Watson, the former five-star recruit is still motivated to show out all his naysayers.
“Everyone’s doubting me. Everyone don’t believe in me. Everyone don’t think that I can get back to where I was. But I know and I believe the work that I put in, what I believe in myself. The peace that I’ve been channeling these last couple months, I know I’m going to be way better than before.” – Deshaun Watson
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam even recognized the struggles with Watson’s play so far, saying that the Browns have fallen short of expectations.
“We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t,” – Jimmy Haslam
As Watson approaches his 30th birthday in September, he remains focused on his recovery and regaining the form that once made him one of the league’s top quarterbacks. The Browns organization and their fans await his return with cautious optimism, hoping that he can overcome his past struggles and fulfill the high expectations set during his acquisition.
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