Huge news out of Cleveland. Browns QB Deshaun Watson is out for the season due to a broken bone in his shoulder. Per a statement from the team, he will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
He will not play against the Steelers this weekend or play the rest of the year.
UPDATE (1:03 PM): Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirms rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this weekend in Watson’s place. He’s getting the nod over veteran P.J. Walker, who has been replacing Watson most of the year.
Per the team, Watson underwent an MRI Monday. One revealed a high ankle sprain while the other revealed a fracture in his shoulder. Specifically, the team is calling it a fractured glenoid.
It’s huge news and a massive blow to the 6-3 Browns, who were finally seeing returns on their trade for Watson. He had just led the Browns to a comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, 33-31.
Watson has struggled to stay healthy in his time with the Browns. He missed a month with a rotator cuff bruise early in the season and, as noted, suffered an ankle sprain late in the first half Sunday. The team did not report a shoulder injury until today’s news.
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Watson wanted to play through the injury but doctors warned of severe damage to his shoulder if he took another hit in the same spot.
With his second season done with the team, and the first 11 games of his 2022 campaign eliminated due to suspension, Watson has started just 12 games with the Browns. They traded a massive haul that included three first-round picks and a fully guaranteed $230 million deal for Watson in a swap with the Houston Texans during the 2022 offseason. And they’ve gotten very little in return. While Watson is 8-4 as a starter, he’s completed under 60 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s also been sacked 37 times.
Thompson-Robinson started one game this season, an emergency start in Week Four against the Baltimore Ravens when Watson made a last-minute decision not to play. The results weren’t pretty in a blowout loss, Thompson-Robinson going 19-for-36 for 121 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. But he starred in training camp and the preseason, leading the team to trade QB Josh Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals and initially making Thompson-Robinson the No. 2, though he fell to third-string behind Walker after the Ravens’ loss. Now, he’s in front of Walker and starting this Sunday.
Now without RB Nick Chubb and Watson for the year, even with the Browns’ great defense, their hopes of winning the AFC North seem shot.
