Cleveland Browns Should Be Very Concerned About Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is still dealing with arm soreness, which is alarming with Week 1 right around the corner.

Aug 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) after the game against the Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans back in March 2022, the quarterback has played in just 12 games with the club. He was suspended for 11 games during his debut campaign, and last season, he appeared in just six contests before being knocked out for the year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

The general consensus has been that Watson will absolutely be full speed ahead for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, but apparently, Watson is still experiencing some issues.

Watson missed a portion of the Browns' final day of training camp on Wednesday due to what head coach Kevin Stefanski described as "general arm soreness," which is worrisome considering Watson is coming off surgery.

It's also now looking more and more like the 28-year-old will not see any preseason action, which is a bit alarming considering he hasn't played a snap since last November.

So, just how concerned should Cleveland be about Watson?

The answer is "very."

Look, the Browns' Super Bowl hopes are entirely attached to Watson's right arm. Yes, they proved last season that they are good enough to make the playoffs without him, but if they want to make a deep postseason run, they will need Watson under center. And healthy.

The season opener is 17 days away at the time of this writing, and Watson is still sore. He is still missing practice time. That isn't exactly a good sign.

Maybe it really is much ado about nothing and Watson will be ready to go for the Cowboys. But you can't help but break a couple of beads of sweat knowing that the three-time Pro Bowler is clearly not 100 percent two-and-a-half weeks before Week 1.

It has been four years since Watson played a full season, and during that 2020 campaign with the Texans, he led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards. The problem is he has played in a grand total of 12 games since then. He sat out all of 2021, and his first two years in Cleveland have been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, particularly when you take into account the fully guaranteed $230 million deal the Browns handed Watson upon acquiring him.

We know what Watson can do when he is right. We saw a whole lot of it in Houston. And you know what? He isn't even 30 years old yet. He is hardly old. But four years is an eternity in the NFL, which makes you wonder if we will ever get to see that version of Watson—or anything close to it—ever again.

Perhaps this really is nothing to fret about. Maybe Stefanski is just slowly easing Watson back into action so he is entirely prepared for the regular season.

But this is definitely not ideal news for Browns fans.