Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson left Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with an Achilles injury.
Watson planted his right leg in the first half as he started to scramble and immediately collapsed on the turf in pain.
Trainers tended to Watson on the field while backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson warmed up. Watson eventually left the field on a cart.
Watson covered his face with a towel in tears as he was carted off the field.
Thompson-Robinson took over at quarterback. The Browns ultimately ruled out Watson with an Achilles injury.
Watson, 29, is in his third season as the Browns’ starting quarterback after joining Cleveland from the Houston Texans via trade in 2022.
Watson made the Pro Bowl in three of his four seasons in Houston after being selected in the first round of the NFL draft out of Clemson in 2017. Watson was accused of several counts of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women in civil lawsuits, with the first lawsuit filed in March 2021. Watson requested a trade from the Texans in April of that year and sat out every game of out the following season before being traded to the Browns.
A grand jury in Houston declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. Watson ultimately settled the lawsuits in confidential agreements.
Browns signed Watson to a historic contract despite accusations
Watson spent the entire 2021 season amid accusations as the Texans moved on from their once-promising quarterback. In March 2022, Cleveland traded for Watson after agreeing to waive a no-trade clause in his contract.
Despite the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct and the fact that Watson had missed an entire football season, the Browns signed Watson to a historic five-year contract worth $230 million that was fully guaranteed. The guarantee was the largest in NFL history. A Browns franchise that had long struggled at the most important position in football made the deal believe Watson was the missing piece on a roster otherwise built on both sides of the ball to compete for a championship.
In August 2022, the NFL suspended Watson for the first eleven games of the 2022 season as a result of its investigation into the allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The league also fined Watson $5 million, the largest fine imposed on a player in league history. Watson wasn’t eligible to play until Week 12 in his first season in Cleveland.
Watson’s battle in Cleveland
Watson struggled in his first season in Cleveland, completing 58.2 of his passes for 183.7 yards per game with seven touchdowns and five interceptions in six games.
Watson was limited to six games in 2023 after undergoing surgery for a broken shoulder in November. Watson once again struggled in the games he played in, completing 61.4% of his passes for 185.8 yards per game with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
Watson fared worse in 2024. In six games prior to Sunday, Watson completed 61.3% of his passes for 170 yards per game with five touchdowns and three interceptions. His 76.6 quarterback rating would be the worst of his career for a single season.
With Watson at quarterback, Cleveland ranked last in the NFL for six weeks with 240.2 yards of offense per game. A Browns team with postseason aspirations that made the playoffs last season with Joe Flacco at quarterback got off to a league-worst 1-5 start.
New allegation this season
In September, Watson faced a new sexual assault lawsuit from a woman who accused him of assaulting her while they were in her apartment in a case dating back to 2020. That case was settled in October through a confidential agreement.
The Browns addressed the latest allegations in a statement from a spokesperson in September.
“We will respect the due process provided by our legal system regarding the recently filed civil lawsuit and follow the NFL’s guidance in this matter.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said at the time that the league was investigating the matter under its personal conduct policy. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the case is still pending.
