The Cleveland Browns haven't had the services of quarterback Deshaun Watson for the entire 2025 season thus far.
Watson has been recovering from an Achilles injury he suffered in 2024. Watson was on the road to recovery initially but suffered a setback that extended his absence.
However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watson is now healthy enough that he will be joining the team on the sideline in Week 12 and will lend a helping hand to rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders, who is making his first start.
"Watson, recovering from his re-ruptured Achilles repair, isn’t traveling just to help Sanders, but is finally healthy enough to be on the sidelines for a game," she wrote.
Adding to that, Cabot notes that the Browns "might" open Watson's 21-day window to be activated off the PUP list, where he has been since the offseason, although some in the building are in favor of waiting until 2026 before bringing Watson back.
"There’s some thought in organization to waiting until the offseason program in April to let Watson start practicing, but he’s coming along well enough that they might open the window soon," she added.
Upon being designated to return from the PUP list, the Browns would have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster or else he'll be forced to miss the rest of the season.
Watson's time in Cleveland has been a total disaster. On top of all the off-the-field issues he's had, Watson's play on the field has been among the worst in the league.
The only justification for bringing Watson back this season would be to have him audition for teams in 2026, when the Browns could look to trade him in the final year of his contract.
However, because of his contract, off-the-field issues and recent awful play, it's highly unlikely any team will bite.
What the Browns should do is keep him on the PUP list for the rest of this season so they can get a full look at Dillon Gabriel and Sanders in order to determine if they need to draft a quarterback in 2026.
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