BEREA, Ohio – The four Cleveland Browns quarterbacks stood near midfield and awaited their turn to try and make one final impression before summer recess.
The fifth quarterback watched from the weight room located on the edge of the practice-field end zone. Rehabbing a twice-ruptured Achilles and not a factor in the much-publicized 2025 Browns quarterback competition, Deshaun Watson pulled on bands and lunged his legs while facing the direction of the field.
Watson, who played 19 games over three seasons for the franchise since being traded here from the Houston Texans and signed a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, will miss significant time, if not the entire season, according to the Browns.
That prompted the team to sign one former veteran (Joe Flacco), trade for a young player with starting experience who’s now on his third team in three years (Kenny Pickett) and draft two rookies, Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth).
Watson was mostly out of sight during the three days of mandatory minicamp. But his presence in the quarterback room has resulted in him serving as a resource for the younger signal-callers, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said, “which is a great message about being a great teammate” to any player, young or old.
“I think there’s value in just being around your teammates,” Stefanski said.
For Gabriel, currently third on the QB depth chart, having Watson in the team facility has been an opportunity to nudge the three-time Pro Bowl selection with a question or thought confirmation. He tries to sit near Watson during the quarterbacks’ meetings with the offensive line or the entire offensive unit to do just that.
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On Tuesday morning, for example, Gabriel peppered Watson with questions about red-zone offense, which was a priority over the course of minicamp.
“I think it’s super cool that we do have five guys that can speak to their own experience,” he said.
As the foursome, wearing their no-contact orange jerseys on the final day of team minicamp, ran through drills, Watson focused on his rehab. Watson’s second Achilles rupture took place outside of the team facility and the Browns restructured his massive deal – signed amid facing dozens of sexual assault and harassment allegations for inappropriate behavior with massage therapists during his time with the Texans.
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His future with the Browns beyond this year is murky although he is under contract through the 2026 season with a full no-trade clause. Of his 2024-25 compensation, $58.1 million was insured, per Spotrac.
In 2025, Watson will largely be an afterthought to those outside the building. For a team still trying to figure out its quarterback situation in both the short and long-term, his presence is a reminder of how wide the gap is between thinking a franchise quarterback has been secured – and actually having that be the case.