Browns QB Deshaun Watson Suffers Ominous Injury Setback

General manager Andrew Berry revealed that after suffering an Achilles tear in October, quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a setback in his recovery

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

The future of Deshaun Watson with the Cleveland Browns got a little more ominous on Monday morning.

Speaking with the media at his annual postmortem, end of season press conference, team vice president of football operations Andrew Berry made it known that Watson had suffered a setback with his recovery from an Achilles rupture. Berry couldn't specify what the hiccup means for Watson's status or availability for 2025, sharing that he had just learned of the news one day prior. He also couldn't rule out the possibility that Watson will need another procedure done at this time.

"So yesterday as we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that [Dehsaun] did have a setback in his Achilles recovery," said Berry. "We don't have all the details on everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him. It is new information, just learned in the past couple hours, so I don't have everything yet."

Just weeks after Myles Garrett left the door open on playing elsewhere, Browns GM Andrew Berry did his best to put fans minds at ease in talking about the star pass rusher's future with the franchise. https://t.co/8icKAdy3Yy

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Watson went down with the ruptures Achilles back in Week 7, during the team's 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury was met with some mixed reactions from fans as Watson was attended to by trainers and ultimately carted off the field. The injury marked the second consecutive season that Watson suffered a season-ending injury. The setback leaves his status as the teams QB even more in question than it already was, however Berry wasn't ready to make any sweeping assumptions about his readiness for the start of next season.

"It's too early to tell," he said. "I don't have all the information. Obviously in a situation like that, I don't want to – one thing I said I have learned from this year – I don't want to rule out anything with a major injury. We are still collecting all the information. Then obviously our focus is making sure that he can get as healthy as possible."

The news also comes as the Browns get ready to enter into an offseason clouded in questions, particularly at the quarterback position. Cleveland has a number of levers they can pull whether it be utilizing their No. 2 overall pick to draft a rookie and inject some life into the future of the position. There are also expected to be a number of veterans available via trade of free agency that Cleveland could take a flyer on to bridge the gap.

While Berry reiterated that he needed more information on the setback before know what Watson's outlook will be for next season, he did admit that around Watson, the QB room is going to look different.

"I wouldn't say [the setback] has a significant impact [on our plans]," said Berry. "I think the reality of it is that room, it will look different next year. It may obviously impact what the room looks like as we enter the season or camp epending on the severity of the setback, but I wouldn't say that it had a significant impact."

Three years since Berry and company traded three first round picks to the Houston Texans to acquire Watson, it's fair to say the move hasn't gone as planned. Berry actually admitted as much on Tuesday, while citing other factors that have also contributed to Watson's inconsistent play.

"I think that to date the trade hasn't gone as we had hoped or anticipated, hasn't gone how Deshaun has hoped or anticipated," he said. "I think certainly a big part of it is the stop-start with availability and that we never have gotten consistent performance at that position. I think there's a variety of factors in that that's not just the quarterback. We all share in culpability with that."

Still, Berry made it clear that risks are always something they account for, and that those risks won't make them gun-shy when it comes to making moves in the name of winning in the future.

"We've never been afraid to take big swings on things that we think can help the team and help the organization," Berry explained. "Sometimes you'll hit and sometimes they won't go quite according to plan, but the one thing that we always do look at is you understand with any business where you take on risk or where you make decisions, you understand that there is both upside and downside. There's no such thing as a riskless transaction."

The stains of the Watson trade are sure to linger in 2025 and beyond. From Berry's perspective, however, there are an assortment of contingency plans he believes will help the Browns navigate the situation this offseason. Many of them start with the Browns possessing the No. 2 overall pick.

"I hate how we got here, but with having the second pick in the draft, whether we select a player or use it to maximize in another way," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to really pivot if we need to."