Tag: Deshaun Watson

Report: Browns to start QB Jameis Winston vs. Ravens in critical Week 8 matchup

The Cleveland Browns are going to start Jameis Winston at quarterback vs. Baltimore Ravens in critical Week 8 matchup

The Ravens (5-2) are headed to Cleveland to face a Browns team (1-6) looking for a win and stave off playoff elimination before Week 10.

Cleveland lost quarterback Deshaun Watson for the season after he tore his Achilles in last Sunday’s loss to the Commanders.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Zac Jackson, and Alex Andrejev report, the Browns plan to start quarterback Jameis Winston for Sunday’s matchup against the AFC North-leading Ravens.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who replaced Watson, suffered a finger injury in the fourth quarter. On Tuesday, the Browns also signed Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs’ practice squad to help bolster their quarterback room as they prepare for Baltimore.

Browns sign Bailey Zappe after placing Deshaun Watson on IR

The Browns have picked up Bailey Zappe as QB insurance

The Achilles injury that ended Deshaun Watson’s season has led to the Cleveland Browns making moves on Tuesday.

The Browns placed Watson on IR. His season was over after he tore an Achilles on Sunday in the loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland then signed Bailey Zappe off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. That would be the Zappe who spent time in New England.

Jameis Winston seems like the logical candidate to start for Cleveland against Baltimore in Week Eight. Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are also in the mix.

Zappe made eight starts in New England, completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Dabo Swinney comments on Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury

Swinney on Watson’s season-ending injury.

After Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles in the Browns’ 21-14 loss to Cincinnati, his season came to a sudden end. On Monday, Dabo Swinney shared that he had reached out to his former Clemson star to offer support.

“I absolutely reached out to him and just tried to encourage him and lift him up,” Swinney said during his weekly Zoom call. “And just praying for him.”
This marks another challenge in Watson’s career, which has seen him face numerous setbacks both on and off the field. His first season in Cleveland was cut short due to a suspension, and injuries limited him to just six games last season as well.

The Browns’ struggles this season haven’t helped. They’re sitting at 1-6, with Watson completing 63.4% of his passes for 1,138 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.

“It’s a tough setback for him,” Swinney continued. “He’s still young. He’s got a lot of football left. I mean, look at Aaron Rodgers, he’s about 40 and coming back from a torn Achilles.”

“It’s tough because he was just starting to find his rhythm again,” Swinney said. “But setbacks happen. You can’t let them keep you down. You’ve got to bounce back, and I know he will.”

Watson will have an uphill battle to return to the field.

Browns add a new QB after the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson

The Browns have a new quarterback in town

The Cleveland Browns have replaced quarterback Deshaun Watson by signing quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Watson ruptured his Achilles in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. This ended his 2024 season and likely the Watson era in Cleveland at the same time. Second-year player Dorian Thompson-Robinson also left the game with a finger injury, and his status for this week is still up in the air.

This leaves Jameis Winston, who played the best of the bunch in the game, to step in and start for the Browns. Zappe may just be his backup after being signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

Zappe was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the quarterback class that will go down as one of the NFL’s worst ever. He has, however, started six games in his career, including beating the Jacoby Brissett-led Browns in 2022. Cut by the Patriots this season after they drafted two quarterbacks, Zappe then landed in Kansas City.

Welcome to Cleveland, Bailey!

Browns sign NCAA record-setter off Chiefs’ practice squad after Deshaun Watson injury

According to a report, the #Browns signed QB Bailey Zappe off the #Chiefs’ practice squad after Deshaun Watson’s injury in Week 7.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cleveland Browns have signed NCAA record-holder Bailey Zappe off of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a serious injury in Week 7.

Zappe, who played for Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky as a collegian, set the NCAA record for most passing yards and touchdowns in a season, with 5,967 and 62 respectively in his 2021 campaign as a Hilltopper.

Though he was never elevated to Kansas City’s 53-man roster during the regular season, Zappe was part of the Chiefs’ outstanding quarterback room, which includes Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz.

 

Kansas City may look to add another young signal-caller to its practice squad after Zappe’s departure, but it remains unclear who they might target to fill the void he will leave.

Stay tuned to see if the Chiefs make a move ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 27.

Is former Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s career over with Browns?

Deshaun Watson’s season, and potentially time in Cleveland with the Browns, is over.

Deshaun Watson’s season is over.

Potentially, so is his time in Cleveland.

The former Houston Texans and current Browns quarterback suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during Sunday’s 21-14 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals and will miss the rest of the 2024 season.

Just after the two-minute warning, Watson dropped to the ground and grabbed at the back of his leg. He was loaded onto a cart and greeted by several of his teammates, who came over to offer their condolences.

As being taken back to the locker room, it appeared that Watson was crying as he wiped his face with a towel. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the injury did look like a season-ender even before the MRI.

Multiple players also called out Browns fans for booing the former Pro Bowl passer as he was being carted off.

“We don’t boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” defensive end Myles Garrett told reporters. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall.”

https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1848067481631375401

It’s clear the Texans walk away as winners from the Watson trade orchestrated in the 2022 offseason. After missing most of the 2022 season due to suspension, Watson struggled in 2023.

Entering Sunday’s game, Watson had the lowest passer rating among all qualified quarterbacks. Through six games, Watson had totaled 1,020 yards passing with five touchdowns against three interceptions.

He also led the Browns to a 1-5 record.

https://twitter.com/BenAxelrod/status/1848112346524450846

Even if Cleveland were to cut ties with Watson, it still would owe him $46 million in each of the next two seasons after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam dished out a new $230 million guaranteed contract following the trade. Meanwhile, Houston just finished using all the draft capital acquired in the deal and sits at 5-2.

Houston has a future with a new quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who remains in the hunt for the MVP conversation as the Texans return to NRG Stadium for their Week 8 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

Cleveland, which traded for Watson to shore up its quarterback situation, returns to the drawing board to find its long-term answer.

Deshaun Watson injury opened the door for a Browns-Saints revenge game

Injuries to Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson could lead to Jameis Winston being the Browns starting QB when they face the Saints

The New Orleans Saints welcome the Cleveland Browns into the Caesars Superdome in a month, and Jameis Winston may be the Browns’ starting quarterback when that game rolls around.

Winston has spent most of his time in Cleveland as Deshaun Watson’s backup. That changed Sunday. The Browns opted to make Dorian Thompson-Robinson the backup ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals and push Winston to the emergency quarterback role.

An emergency happened. Watson went down with a season-ending Achilles injury, and Thompson-Robinson injured a finger on his throwing hand. This led to Winston entering the game at quarterback.

Thompson-Robinson’s injury isn’t believed to be major, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and his availability is up in the air right now. If Winston starts the next game and performs well enough, Winston could hold on to that starting spot. That would put him in line to start against New Orleans.

Winston spent four years with the Saints before going to Cleveland. He didn’t depart on the best terms. He lost his job to Andy Dalton due to injury in 2022. Winston later said he was told he wouldn’t have lost his job if he stepped away to recover. He was made false promises by Dennis Allen.

Ironically, Winston’s last play in New Orleans was a middle finger to Allen. Winston and the team opted to not kneel and instead get Jamaal Williams a touchdown.

Allen clearly wasn’t a fan of that by his postgame actions and press conference. That was Winston’s last play in New Orleans until possibly Week 11.

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Deshaun Watson era ends with as much angst as it started with

His time with the Browns, perhaps his career, is over. And it ended with as much anger and angst as it started with

The Deshaun Watson is over as the Cleveland Browns quarterback tore his achilles in the loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. And one thing is clear: it ended with as much angst and chaos as it started with.

When the Browns first acquired Watson from the Houston Texans, it caused a commotion on social media around Northeast Ohio and beyond. It caused beat writers and analysts to quit, placed protesters outside of the house of head coach Kevin Stefanski, and led to one of the most cringe-worthy press conferences we’ve ever witnessed as the team introduced their new quarterback.

Since the trade, Watson had not lived up to the hype. He has missed more games than he has started, has fallen near the bottom of the NFL in every quarterback metric in games he has played, and has soaked in all of the guaranteed money the Browns have given him.

Let’s face it. After another season-ending injury and subpar play, the Watson era is over. And his career might be over. While he will likely be back on the roster in 2025, it would be stunning to see him take another snap in a Cleveland Browns uniform.

And with that being the case, it ended just as horribly.

Not only was Watson booed when they introduced him during the pregame festivities, his first home game after a disappointing three-game road trip, but they booed him after his achilles shot up his calf. Leaving the field on a cart and in tears, this is how his time in Cleveland ends.

Browns players like Myles Garrett and Jameis Winston went after the fanbase for their reaction to one of their own getting hurt. Garrett even went as far as to say that the fans “should be ashamed of” themselves for their actions.

It’s been difficult to be a fan of this team over the last three seasons. It’s been difficult to cover them. It’s difficult for a player to defend one of their own against the very fans that love them. Every bit of this has been difficult since March of 2022. And it leads to mixed feelings, reactions, and decisions from every party involved.

There is a wedge between the players and the fans, and one that the organization largely forced on both parties.

Whatever is next for Watson, and it’s hard to see another team dialing his number based on his play on the field mixed with what has happened off of it, this exit sums up his time as a member of the Browns and the 2022-2024 era as a whole in Cleveland.

The Deshaun Watson era ends as horribly as it started.

Myles Garrett’s choice of words about fans cheering Deshaun Watson’s injury had NFL fans stunned

Myles Garrett’s choice of words on Deshaun Watson’s injury reaction left NFL fans speechless.

Myles Garrett was not pleased with Cleveland Browns fans after Deshaun Watson went down with an injury during the team’s Week 7 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

During Sunday’s game, Watson was carted off the field after suffering a non-contact Achilles injury, one which the Browns fear might be season-ending. Watson was then replaced in the game by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but the Browns ended up having to turn to Jameis Winston to finish the game due to Thompson-Robinson’s finger injury.

The Browns ended up losing the game 21-14 and while talking to reporters afterwards, Garrett had some choice words for Cleveland fans who reportedly were cheering at the cart coming out for Watson.

Watson, however, was once accused by more than 20 women of sexual misconduct in what the NFL would later characterize as “predatory behavior”.

NFL fans took notice of Garrett’s choice of words and were stunned at his reaction to the moment.

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The good, the bad, the ugly: Instant analysis from Browns’ loss to Bengals in Week 7

Little good, some bad, mostly ugly in the loss to the Bengals.

The Cleveland Browns not only lost the game to the Cincinnati Bengals, but they have also lost quarterback Deshaun Watson for the season.

What looked like a popped achilles in the second quarter, the Browns replaced Watson with second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He also left the game with a finger injury while emergency third quarterback Jameis Winston finished the game (and looked the best).

The return of running back Nick Chubb was marred, although he did score a touchdown in his return to the field. On a pitch count, Chubb finished with just 22 yards on 11 carries, adding another 10 yards on one catch. He will look to get it rolling next week against the Baltimore Ravens.

Tight end David Njoku led the team in catches with 10 for 76 and a touchdown, wide receiver Cedric Tillman led the team in yards with 81 on eight catches, and Jerry Jeudy failed to get anything going.

Ultimately the Browns lost the game 21-14 to fall to 1-6 on the season. What instant analysis stood out from this game? Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from this Week 7 loss:

The good: The defense withstood the test in this one for the Browns

The Browns’ defense, outside of getting caught by Ja’Marr Chase on a one-on-one matchup (as happens to every team once per game), played a strong game against the Bengals. Creating turnovers remains a massive issue, but they held the Cincinnati offense to just 14 points on the day.

Defensive linemen Shelby Harris and defensive end Za’Darius Smith both came away with sacks of Joe Burrow in this one. Second-year defensive end Isaiah McGuire and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II split a sack as well.

Sitting at 1-6, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is going to have to find a way to keep these guys locked in and motivated as the season looks completely lost already. However, there are still contract extensions on the line and young players who will see playing time.

Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is an emerging player, defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. needs live reps, and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. is going to have to prove he is worth a contract extension after a slow start to the season. Some of these guys even have Pro Bowl clauses in their contracts.

There are still players who need to play hard. We’ll see what else happens after that.

The bad: The Browns now have one healthy quarterback

So not only is Deshaun Watson out for the season, and likely done in a Cleveland Browns uniform (and likely the end to his NFL career), but backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson left the game after hitting his finger on the helmet of a defender.

This left just Jameis Winston, who led an offensive scoring drive for the Browns to give them a shot to win at the end of the game. It’s evident that Winston deserves to start for the Browns the rest of the way out, but who will back him up if Thompson-Robinson has to miss time?

The ugly: What is left to save from a 1-6 start and who else could be traded?

Let’s call it like it is. The Browns need to play their younger players, they need to trade players who are on the other side of 30 with less than two years left on their contract, and they need to look forward to evaluating the guys who will actually be a part of their future.

This leaves players like defensive end Za’Darius Smith, who has already been a rumored target of the Detroit Lions, defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris, offensive tackle Jack Conklin, and more on the chopping block to be traded.

Even starting Winston is a risk because he can actually win you games and hurt draft positioning. However, the only way to really evaluate the other players on the offensive side is the ball is with a functional quarterback, and Winston seems like the only one on the roster.