Oct 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) lies on the ground after being injured during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will soon undergo surgery on the ruptured Achilles he suffered on Sunday, ending his season, the team announced Monday.
“MRI this morning confirmed that Deshaun Watson sustained a ruptured right Achilles tendon in the second quarter of yesterday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals,” the team said in a statement posted to social Media Monday. “The injury will require surgical repair, and Deshaun will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. A full recovery is expected.”
The signal caller is mulling two surgical options, Cleveland.com reported Monday.
Watson sustained the injury on a non-contact play during Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals.
“I feel badly for Deshaun with this injury. He will bounce back,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday. “I’m disappointed that it’s only X number of games that he’s been able to play this season. But I do think we know what he’s about and what he brings to this football team.”
Watson is deciding between conventional surgery and the “speed bridge” procedure that New York Jets quarter Aaron Rodgers underwent last year, per the report. Rodgers was able to return about four months sooner than with the conventional surgery.
Further, primary backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson is also awaiting MRI results on the middle finger of his throwing hand, which he injured after replacing Watson in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. X-ray results were negative, and MRI results were forthcoming, per reports Monday morning.
Stefanski said on Monday the Browns would shift the approach of the offense to suit the quarterback taking over for Watson.
On a running play late in the second quarter Sunday, Watson’s right knee buckled, causing the three-time Pro Bowl selection to fall to the ground in obvious pain. Once he was loaded into the back of the cart, Watson, with a towel over his head, was visibly emotional as he was brought back to the locker room.
Before the injury, Watson was 15-of-17 passing for 128 yards against the Bengals. Watson, 29, entered Sunday with 1,020 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions through six games (all starts) this season.
In his third season with Cleveland after four seasons with Houston, Watson entered Sunday’s start having thrown for 17,776 yards, 123 touchdowns and 48 interceptions in 72 games (71 starts) since entering the league in 2017 as the Texans’ first-round pick (No. 12 overall).
Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick by Cleveland, took over for Watson in his first appearance in 2024. Thompson-Robinson, 24, played in eight games (three starts) last year, completing just 60 of 112 passes for 440 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
–Field Level Media
