‘I might be leaving’ Browns Incredible QB Deshaun Watson threatens to leave if team doesn’t give out their best

Watson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in Nov. 2023 and rehabbed throughout the offseason

As the Browns prepare for the season opener against the Cowboys at Huntington Bank Field, the excitement for the 2024 season circulated around the locker room and practice field.

There’s an added layer of emotion for QB Deshaun Watson. When Watson takes the field on Sunday, it will be his first game since November 2023.

“Getting back for the first game, the start of the season, getting out there and just letting all the hard work that you put in, in the off season show on the field,” Watson said. “To be back in the locker room, be prepping again is one of my biggest wins this offseason to be able to make it back to Week One and be in the position I am to go out there and compete Sunday to help this team win.”

He spent the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery for a displaced fracture to the glenoid that he sustained during the 2023 season.

Watson dealt with a shoulder injury since the third week of the 2024 season, when he first suffered an injury to his rotator cuff in Week 3 against the Titans. He missed Week 4 and Week 6 of the season but returned for Week 7 against the Colts. He then took a hit to the shoulder and was out for the remainder of the game, as well as Week 8 against the Seahawks. Watson returned Week 9 to lead the Browns to a win over the Cardinals, as well as a comeback win over the Ravens in Week 10 when he sustained the final shoulder injury. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve and underwent the surgery in November.

Following the surgery, Watson continued to make progress throughout the offseason and hit different milestones along the way. Those milestones ranged from throwing every other day in the offseason programs, then in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills and participating in team drills during training camp.

He also participated in the joint practices with the Vikings and took the majority of the reps against Minnesota’s first-team defense. However, Watson did not play in any of the three preseason games.

Watson said one of his biggest milestones was his level of progress in May. It was an internal goal he set for himself.

“When we first had the surgery back in November, no one knew exactly where it was going to lead to,” Watson said. “It could have been now as we sit here today, or it could have been a whole year, which would have been in November. So, it was very broad. But I challenged myself to get back to this moment right now, and I wanted to make every throw in the spring. And I did that. I was able to make every throw that Dr. (Neal) ElAttrache put out there on the table for me. And I was able to do that before spring broke. And so going into the summer and training camp, everything else was just building the strength and building the endurance with the shoulder.”