The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a quarterback battle that has fascinated many beyond the denizens of the team’s Berea headquarters, as NFL observers across the league want to see whether second-year man Shedeur Sanders, who was the talk of the 2025 draft when he plummeted from a fringe first-rounder to the fifth round, can hold the job against another disaster-prone former star, Deshaun Watson. Browns fans are quite ready to be done with Watson after a blockbuster trade that cost the team three first-round picks was followed by just 19 appearances in four years.
But the Browns do appear bent on playing Watson, either with an eye on just seeing on what he has in the tank and perhaps trading him before turning things back over to Sanders, or to see if he can win and keep the job.
One of the concerns there, it would seem, is whether the Browns are risking putting Watson on the field, having him play well and having his Achilles again rupture for the third time.
Deshaun Watson Not at More Risk for Re-Injury
But there is something of a positive in all that for Watson and the Browns. It seems that having the tendon repaired twice does not necessarily put it at any increased risk of injury. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, of course. Watson originally tore the Achilles in October 2024–the last time he played in an NFL game–but re-injured it in January 2025 and got another surgery.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that another NFL surgeon said that won’t really matter when it comes to Watson in 2026.
She writes: “The key, of course, is for the Achilles repair to hold up and for Watson to stay healthy. But one orthopedic surgeon who hasn’t treated Watson but has worked for an NFL team told cleveland.com that a second repair of the Achilles shouldn’t put him at any more risk of re-injury than a single procedure.”
Browns Like QB Mobility
That’s one slice of good news. The other is that, generally speaking, Watson has looked good in OTAs and minicamp, which are, essentially, glorified passing camps since no one is wearing pads. But Watson has looked good with his arm and his decision-making and has at least given himself a chance to stay in the race for the QB1 job.
And Watson does have an advantage in that coach Todd Monken likes to have a quarterback with mobility, and he is more mobile than Sanders–even with the two surgeries.
“I think he’s excited to play again and to play at a high level,” Monken said. “You know, he puts a lot of pressure on himself. So, when he’s not right or he makes a mistake, he’s great at owning it. But it’s okay, we’re human. We’re going to make mistakes. You’re not going to play flawless. It’s okay. Just go to the next play. Go to the next play. And I think the things you don’t see out here, you do a little bit, I think he plays with his feet.
“So that’s going to be a huge weapon for him. It has been in his career and as long as he’s healthy it will continue to be a weapon for him.”
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