Deshaun Watson Returns After 2 Years, Throws for 126 Yards in Browns QB Battle

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Aug 16

Watson played his first game since Oct. 20, 2024, going 11-of-15 for 126 yards as Cleveland scored 10 points during his first-half stint.
That return followed an 11-game suspension in 2022, season-ending shoulder surgery in 2023 and two Achilles tears that cost him 10 games in 2024 and all of 2025.
Todd Monken called Watson’s outing “cool” and “awesome,” and the performance may have strengthened his case over Shedeur Sanders in the Browns’ starting quarterback competition.
Watson said he never doubted he could return at a high level, adding that his Achilles felt fine and brief forearm numbness faded as the game went on.
The 30-year-old has played only 19 games since Cleveland acquired him from Houston in 2022, underscoring how much of his Browns tenure has been disrupted.