Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the remainder of the season as surgeons repair his injured right shoulder, the club announced Wednesday.
Watson told team doctors he felt pain in his throwing shoulder after Sunday’s dramatic 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
An MRI scan revealed “a displaced fracture of the glenoid,” and “it was determined that this injury would require immediate surgical repair to avoid further structural damage,” the team said,
Watson arrived in Cleveland before last season following his trade from the Houston Texans, which was prompted by sexual misconduct allegations against him.
He missed the first 11 games of last season after officials said he and the NFL agreed to penalties for his “sexual contact” with massage therapists.
Riding one of the weakest defensive units in football, the Browns have gotten off to a surprising 6-3 start.
Cleveland’s defense is allowing an NFL-best 242.7 yards per game. The team’s scoring defense, averaging 18.9 points per game, is sixth best.
The season-ending injury occurred when Watson was playing his best games in a Browns uniform.
“We’re disappointed for them,” general manager Andrew Berry told reporters. “Anytime you lose a player to a season-ending injury, especially your starting quarterback, it’s disappointing.”
The 28-year-old Watson has yet to produce the stellar numbers in Cleveland that he posted in Houston.
In his last season leading the Texans in 2020, he threw for a league-high 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 16 games.
In his 12-game Browns career, Watson has thrown for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine picks.
Berry said he does not consider the trade and contract extension responsible for Watson’s failures.
“We look at them every day in terms of their performance on the field, their preparation, their physical and mental toughness,” Berry said. “We really feel good enough about that situation to move forward with him.”
Backup quarterback PJ Walker has started three games this year, helping Cleveland to wins over the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.
