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 crumpled to the turf in pain.
Trainers tended to Watson on the field as 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 eventually ruled Watson out 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 by more than 20 women in civil litigation of varying instances of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, with the first lawsuit being filed in March 2021. Watson requested a trade from the Texans in April of that year, and sat out every game of the following season before being traded to the Browns.
A grand jury in Houston declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. Watson eventually settled the lawsuits in confidential agreements.
Browns signed Watson to historic contract despite allegations
Watson sat the entire 2021 season amid the allegations as the Texans moved on from their once-promising quarterback. In March of 2022, Cleveland traded for Watson after he agreed 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 season of football, the Browns signed Watson to a historic, five-year, $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed. The guarantee was the largest in NFL history. A Browns franchise that had long struggled at football’s most important position made the deal believing that Watson was the missing piece on a roster that was built to compete for a championship.
In August of 2022, the NFL suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 season as the result of its investigation into the allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The league also fined Watson $5 million, the largest fine levied against a player in league history. Watson wasn’t eligible to play in his first season in Cleveland until Week 12.
Watson’s struggles 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 fractured shoulder in November. Watson 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 has been 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 stand as the worst of his career for a season.
With Watson at quarterback, Cleveland ranked last in the NFL through 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 by a woman who accused him of assaulting her while they were in her apartment in a case that dates back to 2020. That case was settled in October via a confidential agreement.
The Browns addressed the latest allegations via a statement from a spokesperson in September.
“We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter,” the statement read.
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 was still under review.