Deshaun Watson has a chance to play football before the end of 2025.
The Browns announced Wednesday that they have opened Watson’s 21-day practice window, giving the veteran quarterback three weeks to prove he is healthy enough to return to action this season.
“Excited for him,” coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday. “His focus, my focus is obviously getting him back to playing football, practicing football, which he hasn’t done in over a year. It’s a good next step for him. But our focus, obviously, continues to be on the Tennessee Titans.”
The development is surprising for a number of reasons, starting with timing. Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury midway through the 2024 season and re-injured it after having it surgically repaired, theoretically ruling him out of any serious possibility of returning in 2025. It appears he has outperformed the projected timeline after being cleared for practice.
However, Wednesday’s news should be treated with caution. Cleveland doesn’t need to activate Watson on the active roster at all and is now entering a defined window where Watson must prove he’s healthy and fit enough to play and is worthy of a roster spot. If the window closes without activation, Watson would return to the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the remainder of what is yet another lost season for the Browns (3-9).
It sounds like the Browns aren’t quite preparing to return to action the same way the Bengals prepared Joe Burrow last month.
“Not really my focus, not his focus at this minute,” Stefanski said when asked if the organization wanted Watson back on the field. “His focus is putting a helmet back on for the first time, shoulder pads, throwing the football. That’s where the focus is.”