CLEVELAND, Ohio — While the Browns are in the hunt for a more experienced veteran bridge quarterback, Deshaun Watson posted a video Tuesday showing how hard he’s working to come back from his re-ruptured right Achilles.
He’ll miss “significant time” this season, according to Browns general manager Andrew Berry, but Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, made it clear he’s determined play football again. It might not be for the Browns, who gave him a fully-guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million, but he’s not giving up.
In the video, posted on Instagram, Watson — wearing his walking boot — is working out at the Browns facility, where he’s been rehabbing since shortly after undergoing the Achilles revision on Jan. 10th.
He rides the stationery bike, waves the battle ropes and performed twists with a medicine ball. He also does sit ups and stretches the Achilles with an elastic band.
Interviewed between sets, he says, “At the end of the day, I’ve got to understand too like my name, my presence are actually bigger than what people see.”
He also alludes to the criticism he’s received in recent years, without specifying whether he meant for his play or his accusations by more than two dozen massage therapists of sexual misconduct during appointments, or both.
“In a sense, you can’t take it personally,” he said. “I kind of learned that, but I think naturally we kind of do that as humans, trying to take other people’s opinions personally. It goes back to people don’t understand me, they don’t know. So when they don’t understand and know something, they kind of try to speak on it.”
The video was posted two days after Watson proposed to his longtime girlfriend Jilly Anais, the pop singer, social media influencer and chef.
It also came less than two weeks after the Browns restructured his contract again, clearing $36 million in cap space, and cutting the original 2025 cap charge in half. They did so with a restructure bonus and more void years to spread out the charges.
At the NFL Combine last month, Browns GM Andrew Berry stressed that Watson wasn’t doing anything wrong when he re-tore the Achilles.
“Unfortunately, he turned his foot (or) ankle that caused the re-tear during the normal stages of the recovery process,” Berry said. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation and everything out there, but there’s nothing nefarious. It’s just an unfortunate accident. So our focus is on making sure that he gets healthy and can be back to normal.”
Berry couldn’t pin it down when Watson will be back, but the Browns don’t seem to be counting on him for this season.
“How far that spans into 2025, I can’t give you a specific right now,” Berry said. “He’s shown to be a fast healer and we’re going to try and be as thoughtful and aggressive with the recovery process, but that’s not something that I could predict currently.”
The Browns have the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and are strongly considering Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders there. They also acquired former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Eagles, and hosted Russell Wilson on a free agent visit last week. They’ll likely sign a more experience bridge quarterback, and have contemplated re-signing Joe Flacco.
Kevin Stefanski noted at the Combine that Watson will continue to rehab at the Browns facility throughout the season. In fact, he was there on Thursday when Wilson visited.
“He’s there every day right now,” Stefanski said. “I get to see him, so he’s working very hard. Obviously the No. 1 thing for him is to get healthy.”
The video proved he’s determined to do just that.
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