Browns share Deshaun Watson update that fans have waited all season for

It's been over a year since the Cleveland Browns fan base has seen quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field, but that might be changing soon.

The Browns announced that they will opening the 21-day practice window of Watson as he has been on the PUP list. Watson tore his Achilles once again last year, knocking him out the rest of the 2024 season and missing most of the 2025 season.

We've designated QB Deshaun Watson for return to practice
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 3, 2025

Since joining the Browns, Watson has failed to play more than seven games in a season dating back to 2022. He's thrown for 3,365 yards and 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions with a completion percentage of 61.2.

This is a substantial difference from the guy who was the quarterback for the Houston Texans for four years, making three straight Pro Bowls and leading them to the playoffs twice before his controversy off the field resulted in him sitting out every game in 2021.

The Browns traded three first-round picks to the Texans for Watson and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, which has resulted in poor performance and is widely regarded as one of the worst trades in NFL history. Cleveland finished with a 9-10 record and played just 19 games in four seasons with Watson, so it's easy to see how this deal did not work out.

Since Watson's multiple injuries, the Browns have tried to find every possible solution at quarterback, resulting in the drafting of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this year in hopes that one of them would work out. While neither guy has been bad, they have not yet reached the level of being franchise quarterbacks.

The lingering question regarding Watson is what the Browns will do with him in the final five games of the season. It seems unlikely that he would play in any of the games, giving Sanders a chance to win the job in 2026.

Watson still has one more year on his contract with Cleveland before it's done, so the team is still on the hook for him. That means it's most likely that Watson will battle with Sanders and Gabriel for the starting job in 2026, unless the Browns decide to add another quarterback in free agency or via trade.

This is just another chapter of what has been a nightmare situation for the Browns as they hope that they will be done with it soon enough. Watson still has a little bit of time to try to redeem himself, but will the Browns give him that chance?