Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson issued a brief but potentially telling message as speculation about his return to the field continues to build.
Watson has been sidelined for more than a year after tearing his Achilles last October. He suffered a setback in January that required a second surgery, and the Browns later announced he’d miss a significant portion of the current season. Cleveland has provided little detail on Watson’s potential timeline for a return.
The former Pro Bowl quarterback has been steadily ramping up his rehab and is expected to return within the next few weeks. While Cleveland won’t clear him to practice this week, that milestone is reportedly approaching. Amid the growing buzz surrounding his comeback, Watson ended his social media silence with a pointed post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ8DBewkUrj/
“Be READY,” Watson wrote, including his “MoreGLORY” tag and a series of photos documenting his recovery journey.
He also posted the photos to his Instagram stories with the caption, “Had to walk a lot of miles to get here.”
“Had to walk a lot of miles to get here,” – Browns QB Deshaun Watson gives an update on his rehab.
Do you think Watson will play for the Browns this season?
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about Watson potentially being cleared to practice this week. The two-time coach of the year was unsure about the team’s plans for its $230 million quarterback.
“I’m not sure if that’s what we’re doing,” Stefanski said.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot recently provided more context on the situation and when Watson could be back in the mix.
“Deshaun Watson continues to make excellent progress in his comeback from a re-ruptured Achilles, but the Browns aren’t opening his 21-day practice window this week,” Cabot said, citing a league source. “The Browns will wait at least until least Week 12 against the Raiders to designate Watson for return from reserve/Physically Unable to Perform. They expect to have more clarity on his timeframe over the next couple of weeks.”
When Watson is medically cleared, the Browns can open his 21-day practice window. The team can activate him to the 53-man roster at any time during that span. If not, he’ll remain on reserve/physically unable to perform list for the remainder of the season.
Dillon Gabriel has started the past five games for the Browns, going 1-4 in those contests. He’s done little to show he can be a long-term option, passing for just 869 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
High-profile fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders is the backup to Gabriel. It’s assumed that Sanders would be the next option if the team wants to make a change. But Watson’s return could potentially complicate that.
“My guess is they’d like to see both of them,” NFL insider Albert Breer of the MMQB said on Tuesday. “But I think we have to remember that Shedeur is a fifth-round pick. The investment the organization has in those two guys is on different planets. One guy is under contract for the next three years, after this year, at a very low number. The other guy you have under contract for one more year, and you’re guaranteeing him $46 million. It’s not even close to the same thing, regardless of how famous the fifth-round pick may be.”
That said, the Browns have made it clear that Watson is not part of their long-term plans. Owner Jimmy Haslam recently described the blockbuster 2022 trade for Watson as a “swing and miss.” Haslam has also expressed that he wants to see both Gabriel and Sanders play this season, especially with two first-round picks in next year’s draft.
The Cleveland Browns are off to a 2-7 start, and fans have called for head coach Kevin Stefanski to be fired.
However, it is unlikely that Stefanski will be fired this season. Meanwhile, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot revealed that he is likely to return in 2026. General manager Andrew Berry is also expected back, according to Cabot.
“The truth is, we have no idea what they are actually really thinking,” Cabot said on 92.3 The Fan. “I know going into it, Jimmy Haslam has indicated, I believe at the owner’s meetings, that he wasn’t holding Kevin and Andrew’s feet to the fire because this was the year they were trying to figure out what they had in one of these rookie quarterbacks. Or, at least at that point, they knew it was going to be one rookie quarterback.
“I don’t think there was this sense of ‘win or else’ this season. It was about fact-finding and figuring out what they had and helping them inform what to do in the 2026 draft. I just don’t think this was a year where the expectations were super, crazy high. But, still, you have to see certain things from your football team. … I do think that Jimmy believes in continuity and alignment in his organization. And, he knows that this is a challenging year with all of the rookies. In a perfect world, he’s going to want to try to maintain that continuity. And, see if they can’t get this thing on the right track with a new quarterback they will probably draft in 2026.
Cabot believes Haslam still has confidence in Berry and Stefanski, and both could very well return next season with a new quarterback.
Cleveland has struggled this season as the Browns are off to a 2-7 start and coming off a disappointing 27-20 road loss to the New York Jets.
Following the loss, Stefanski made it clear that the goal and focus are on turning it around and finding ways to win.
“Obviously frustrated, disappointed on that result yesterday,” Stefanski said on Monday. “And we’re spending time right now watching it with the players and trying to learn from that. You know, hard to win on the road, and certainly hard when you do some of the things we did in that ball game. But we’re committed to this thing, and we’ll just find ways to get better in all areas and we’ll go from there. Big division game at our place this week.”
Stefanski believes the Browns have to be better in all three phases of the game. Despite that being an issue all season, he has full confidence in his group.
The Browns will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in a game Cleveland is a 7.5-point underdog.
Although Stefanski hasn’t been fired, and there are no signs he will be, his name has come up for other jobs.
The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll on Monday after a loss to the Chicago Bears. Following Daboll’s firing, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky links Stefanski to the Giants.
“The No. 1 name that I would pay attention to if I were the Giants is what happens in Cleveland with Kevin Stefanski,” Orlovsky said on Monday on NFL Live. “If I could hand-pick a guy, it would be Stefanski. He’s an outstanding coach, two-time Coach of the Year.
“I understand people in Cleveland are like, ‘This guy can’t coach’. But there’s a lot of empirical data that would say otherwise. … I would pay attention to see what’s going on in Cleveland.”
Stefanski has been the Browns’ head coach since 2020 and has led them to the playoffs twice.