NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Just as Shedeur Sanders is settling in as the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback, the one the team signed to a $230 million contract is back on the field for the first time in more than a year.
Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon on October 20 of last year and did it again last January, further delaying his return.
But the Browns opened Watson’s 21-day window to return on Wednesday, just as Sanders prepares for the third start of his NFL career.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson watch from the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field on September 7, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“He’s been working really hard, rehabbing. So to finally get out on the practice field with his teammates, go through the individual, I think is really great for him,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Our focus is to activate this practice window, see him on the practice field, get him into individual situations, that type of thing. He’s done everything that’s been asked of him. He’s been a great support in the meeting room on the field with the players. Now he can do it on the practice field.”
Watson is currently 9-10 as Cleveland’s starter. He has 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a passer rating of 80.7. He is also unpopular with fans after the Browns sent five draft picks to Houston, including three first-round picks, and signed him to a fully guaranteed contract widely considered one of the worst in league history.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in action during the NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 13, 2024 in Philadelphia. (Chris Szagola, File/AP Photo)
AARON JUDGE, JAXSON DART, JALEN BRUNSON AMONG NEW YORK SPORTS FIGURES WHO WILL RECEIVE VOTES IN THE RACE FOR NEW YORK MAYOR
If Watson is not activated from injured reserve in the window, he will officially miss the entire season.
The Browns “swung big and missed” with the trade, co-owner Jimmy Haslam said during league meetings in March, adding that “we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.”
The Browns have amended Watson’s contract twice in three months during the offseason in an attempt to gain some financial flexibility.
The Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)
Watson is also under contract for the 2026 season, as Dillon Gabriel is now Sanders’ backup. Sanders entered a Week 11 game after Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders started Week 12 while Gabriel was in the protocol, and after winning his first start, Sanders remained a starter even after Gabriel was cleared.
