Nick Chubb's Return Spoiled, As Major Questions Await The Browns

The Cleveland Browns dropped to 1-6 on the season in a 21-14 loss to the Bengals in a game that saw quarterback Deshaun Watson go down with injury and Nick Chubb return

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 / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

After weeks of discourse surrounding whether or not the Cleveland Browns should bench Deshaun Watson, the decision was likely made for them during a 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Late in the first half, with the Browns offense facing a second-and-six just outside the red zone, Watson took the snap on a designed QB draw, planted his right foot to take off and quickly crumbled to the turf. He spent the next few minutes with his head in his hands as trainers rushed to his side.

The replay showed suggested the worst, as Watson's calf muscle buckled underneath him due to an apparent Achilles tear. By the time he was confirmed out with an Achilles injury early in the third quarter everyone already assumed the worst.

Watson will undergo an MRI on Monday, but it's likely to confirm that Watson's 2024 campaign is over. If so, it will mark the second consecutive year that the Browns star QB has been unable to finish the season due to injury.

Before his departure the Browns offense was showing some signs of life. Watson was in the midst of what ultimately ended as a 12-play, 61-yard touchdown drive. Capped off with a long-overdue one-yard Nick Chubb touchdown run. Upon his exit from the game, Watson had completed 15-of-17 passes for 128 yards and had sprinkled in a couple vintage Deshaun Watson plays from his days with the Houston Texans.

The overtures to replace Watson had grown too loud to ignore in recent weeks. But nobody expected or wanted it to go down the way it did on Sunday.

Now the Browns decision was likely made for them and at 1-6 on the season bigger questions await. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was promoted to Watson's primary backup prior to kickoff. In taking over for the 28-year-old he finished off that scoring drive – Cleveland's only one of the game. He finished 11-for-24, with 82 yards passing, two interceptions and a team-high 44 yards rushing.

Does the rest of 2024 become about figuring out what the team has in the young fifth-round pick? Does a veteran backup like Jameis Winston become a trade chip by the Nov. 5 deadline? After the team traded Amari Cooper this week, another loss could open up the flood gates for Cleveland in regards to the trade market.

On a day that was supposed to feel celebratory given Chubb's long-awaited return to the field after a year rehabbing from a serious knee injury, it suddenly became about the realization that many organization altering questions await the Browns in the weeks and months ahead.