The Cleveland Browns, still reveling a bit in Sunday’s huge 33-31 comeback win over the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens, were hit with a major blow on Wednesday morning. That’s when it an MRI revealed that star quarterback Deshaun Watson has a fractured shoulder and would miss the remainder of the season.
One that’s been bothering him and had already forced him to miss three games this season, it will need to be surgically repaired to avoid further structural damage, effectively ending his 2023 season.
The news comes on the heels of what in many ways was a signature win for both Watson as a quarterback and this version of the Browns franchise which re-entered the league in 1999 after a four year hiatus without a team. As the former Clemson standout spoke with the media on Wednesday, he did his best to hold it together, but it was evident he’s taking the news hard….
“It’s very tough,” Watson said. “Hurt about it.”
Watson Shocked But Expected To Be Fully Healthy For Start Of 2024
The news definitely stings a Browns team that when healthy has the look of a real Super Bowl contender, and that starts and ends with Watson, the $230 million acquisition.
“I’m still in disbelief. I’m still trying to process all the information,” Watson told reporters after news about the diagnosis broke. “I felt like we were turning a corner to really making a run and believe we still will with the guys in this locker room. I just wanted to physically be a part of it. … It’s tough to try to wrap everything around my head right now.”
Watson is doing his best to be positive and motivate rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson who’s been named the starter in Watson’s absence.
DTR, the 24-year-old from UCLA, was thrown in against the Ravens in their first matchup, and he didn’t fare too well, throwing three picks after shining all preseason.
The other quarterback, P.J Walker, was even worse with one touchdown and five interceptions in his two starts.
Not the most promising group of backup signal-callers, but with a strong running game and one of the best defenses in the league, this is where the Browns are. It’s almost like they can’t have nice things.
Did Team Trade Veteran Josh Dobbs Prematurely?
With the play of the aforementioned Thompson-Robinson in the preseason, Browns brass decided to make him the primary backup to Watson coming into the season. Walker was signed to be his backup with Watson down. But the team had current Minnesota Vikings starter Josh Dobbs in the fold until late August.
And while you don’t like to do the hypothetical, just imagine how he’s currently playing for the Vikes, and what he could do surrounded by the talented and deep Browns roster.
But that isn’t the Browns’ fate, and they’ll have to make it work with either DTR or Walker.
