Deshaun Watson injury and impact on Cleveland Browns future

Deshaun Watson's demise with the Cleveland Browns has proven time and time again to be a failure. Due to a suspension and a shoulder injury, the quarterback only played 12 games in his first two seasons with Cleveland.

This came after Watson was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2022 season. He ultimately signed a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract to facilitate the trade. The apparent background to this was that Watson settled with two dozen women who had accused the former Clemson star of sexual misconduct.

Obviously, Watson would be under scrutiny the moment the three-time Pro Bowler took his first snap with Cleveland in 2022. That became even clearer before Sunday's home game with the Cincinnati Bengals. Watson and the Browns entered the game with a record of 1-5.

There was talk of head coach Kevin Stefanski benching the high-priced quarterback. However, he declined that opportunity after last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now Stefanski will be forced to go in a different direction at quarterback. Watson suffered a serious lower-body injury late in the second quarter of Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Bengals. Almost immediately, attention turned to the possibility that Watson had torn his Achilles tendon. This is something Stefanski brought up after the game, which pretty much confirms that the Browns do indeed believe Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

“Obviously the injury doesn't look good,” Stefanski told reporters after the game, via ESPN. “So, I’m calling him right here, but…disappointed in him. Any of our guys that you lose are disappointed because you know how much it means to them and how hard they work. It's hard.”

Injuries of this type usually require approximately one calendar year of rehabilitation. In the short term, the Browns are largely sticking with what they have at quarterback.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson under center on Sunday. However, he also left with a potentially long-term finger injury. Veteran Jameis Winston eventually took over and led the Browns to a touchdown in his short time under center.

The scene itself in Cleveland was ugly, with fans cheering over Watson's injury. Regardless of what you think of a quarterback or a player, this is amateur hour. Browns players agreed. Stefanski did too.

“I don’t think it’s ever okay to cheer when someone is hurt. I’m sure not everyone in the building does, but this is disappointing,” the Browns head coach told reporters.

This came after Watson was booed by Browns fans during the pregame introduction. Again, it was an absolutely ugly scene.

Next step for the Cleveland Browns after Deshaun Watson's injury

At 1-6 this season, these Browns are going nowhere fast. It makes sense to rely on either Thompson-Robinson or Winston to move forward under center. For Cleveland, it's not about how the rest of the season will turn out. It's more about the long-term effects of Watson's injury.

The 29-year-old quarterback is under contract until the 2026 season. His combined cap hits in these two seasons total a staggering $145 million. These are the basic financials of Watson's contract. But there is much more to it than that.

Cleveland would face a dead cap hit of $118.94 million if the team were to release Watson after this season. That number stands at $53.84 million after the 2025 campaign.

It is highly unlikely that the Browns would take such a large dead cap hit this coming offseason. The more likely scenario is that Cleveland uses him for next season and moves up from quarterback before the 2026 season.

The Cleveland Browns could now be looking for a quarterback

Cleveland is currently in position to land a high first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

On the surface, it wouldn't make sense to max out a top-three pick on a signal-caller when you owe Watson the money in the future. That's just on the surface.

If the Browns could land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, that would help offset what is due to Watson. That is, a signal-caller playing under a rookie contract. Assuming everything turns out as expected, said quarterback's second contract wouldn't come into effect until Watson is completely off the Browns' books.

Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Cam Ward (Miami), and Carson Beck (Georgia) are all names to keep an eye on in this regard.

What I do know is that Watson may have played his last snap in a Browns jersey. If so, it will go down as one of the worst trades and contracts in NFL history.