Deshaun Watson's Browns Teammates Had Shocking Reaction To Injury

The controversial reaction from Cleveland Browns fans in the moments after Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending Achilles injury is well documented.

While the stadium fell silent for a moment, a rumble of cheering soon followed from certain corners of Huntington Bank Stadium. That fan response, while certainly not the majority of fans in attendance, sparked some emotional responses from Watson's teammates after the game. Including, perhaps most notably from his quarterback companion Jameis Winston.

While those raw reactions just minutes after the game had ended certainly were authentic, a new piece from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reveals that in the weeks that followed there was a sense of relief that accompanied Watson's extended absence from the team from inside the locker room.

"Players told me there was a constant heaviness surrounding Watson in the locker room and that they felt a different energy in the building upon his departure after his Achilles injury in October," wrote Lloyd. "A couple of veterans told me it felt like a cloud had been lifted."

Lloyd's findings seem valid considering how vibes around the locker room did shift in the weeks that followed Watson's exit. Some of that could have been the presence of Winston taking over at quarterback, and his infectious personality.

Beyond that though, came some moderate signs of success from the offense and the team once the team was forced to make a change at QB. For example, the team immediately went on to beat the Baltimore Ravens to earn their second win of the season one week later.

In another section of Lloyd's piece he explained why Watson and head coach Kevin Stefanski never seemed to mesh well together as a quarterback and play caller, explaining that Watson was after firs receptive to how he fit in Stefanski's offense, but then pushed to run an offense that more closely resembled what he did with the Houston Texans.

"Coach Kevin Stefanski had shown Watson film clips of his offense during their first meeting in March 2022, demonstrating how Watson could thrive in this wide zone, play-action scheme crafted by Gary Kubiak and Mike Shanahan," Lloyd explained. "But after he arrived in Cleveland, Watson never embraced Stefanski’s system. He wanted to be in shotgun, and Stefanski wanted him under center to make the play-action component more effective."

The insights paint an interesting picture into Watson's relationship with his teammates over his three years with the Browns. It's a tenure that is likely coming to an end after new that Watson re-injured the Achilles and needed a second procedure broke last week. That setback is not only likely to cost Watson the entire 2025 season, but very well could mark the end of his career.