CLEVELAND — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering a non-contact injury late in the first half.
Watson went down untouched and was writhing in pain on the field before being carted off in tears. The team has since confirmed he suffered an Achilles injury, and when asked after the game if it would be season-ending, head coach Kevin Stefanski said, "That's what it looks like."
"We'll get testing on that," Stefanski added.
Watson had been struggling over the course of the first six weeks of the season and was even booed by Cleveland fans during player introductions at Huntington Bank Field. However, he was starting to find his grove in the opening half, completing 15 of 17 passes for 128 yards.
The injury came on a designed QB run play. Watson went down almost immediately and began clutching his right leg while being tended to by the training staff. Virtually all of his teammates came out on the field to console him.
The loss of Watson ironically comes on a week where the Browns had already made a significant change to their quarterback depth chart. For this game against the Bengals, Dorian Thompson-Robinson was promoted to the No. 2 spot, while veteran backup Jameis Winston was dropped down to the emergency third QB.
Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson under center and helped finish off a drive that ended with beloved running back Nick Chubb's first touchdown since returning from his own gruesome knee injury. Cleveland went into halftime trailing Cincinnati 7-6 before eventually losing 21-14, with Thompson-Robinson throwing two interceptions before hurting his finger in the fourth quarter.
A fifth-round draft pick just last year, Thompson-Robinson was forced into action as a rookie and went 1-2 as a starter. He showed flashes of his dual-threat talent, but still threw only one TD compared to four interceptions. He was eventually made the backup after the arrival of Joe Flacco and later placed on injured reserve as the Browns went to the playoffs.
Since arriving in Cleveland in 2022 and signing a then record $230 million guaranteed contract, Watson's time with the club has been mired not just by inconsistent play, but his inability to stay on the field for one reason or another. During that first season, he was suspended for the first 11 games following more than two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct. Last year, he played in six of the first nine contests before being sidelined for good with a fractured shoulder.
