Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s season ended after just six games played in 2023 due to a fractured right shoulder, but Watson was back on the field for Cleveland’s OTAs and also took part in his teammate David Njoku’s celebrity softball game on Saturday. Disaster almost struck in the first inning when Watson, playing first base, collided with tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden, who was playing second base while, catching a pop-up. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watson’s cap flew off and he landed on his right shoulder and was down for a “few seconds” before popping up.
Watson playing first base, a highly active position where he’s going to be involved in the play frequently while coming off a serious injury doesn’t sound like the best decision. Luckily for the Browns and Watson, the incident wasn’t serious, and Watson was “good.” It doesn’t even make sense for Watson to have played the field at all given his injury recovery, but that’s his decision to make. While he might have been okay, his team wasn’t, as it lost 20-5 to a team captained by Myles Garrett in the softball game.
Watson didn’t take any at-bats in the game after undergoing surgery in November, and the next time he’ll be on a field will be Tuesday for the Browns’ mandatory minicamp. According to Cabot, Watson is still likely to be limited as he continues to recover from his injury.
Watson’s entering what could be considered a prove-it year. The Browns were able to have success last season even with him sidelined, and he hasn’t been particularly good when he’s played for Cleveland. It still hasn’t stopped the team from winning, as the Browns are 8-4 in games he’s played, but his 2,217 yards and 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 12 games leave a lot to be desired. Cleveland will be paying Watson $46 million guaranteed a season through 2026, but if he struggles this season, the team may opt to look for a potential replacement through the draft.
The Browns are surely breathing a sigh of relief that nothing worse happened during Watson’s collision, as losing their starting quarterback because he re-aggravated his shoulder injury playing first base in a softball game might have been the most Browns thing ever.
