Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after Week 7's loss to the CIncinnati Bengals that QB Deshaun Watson is, in fact, feared to have torn his achilles during the first half of the game.
Watson dropped back for a pass when the score was just 7-0 in the second quarter, but immediately collapsed after getting rid of the ball. He was down on the field for a while before getting carted off the field and into the locker room in tears. Watson had gone 15 for 17 on his passes and thrown for 128 yards before going down, making the injury even more of a major blow. It was by far his best start to a game on the season.
Watson's season has been embattled - there is no question about that. In addition to his extensive off field offenses, he has been far and away the worst quarterback in the league. Watson needed a big game in Week 7 against a rival like the Bengals to get not just himself going, but to jump start a stalling offense. Now, with Watson down for the rest of the season with this injury, it seems like Cleveland will turn to its backup quarterback room and RB Nick Chubb to carry this offense forward.
Watson's injury also leaves a lingering question for this Cleveland front office, for Watson, and for the draft next season - was that his last snap for this team? The draft is not short for quality, young quarterback talent. While QB is not the only position on offense that needs refinement in, it could help to get even the potential of a franchise quarterback on the team again.
QB1 moving forward might have been decided in garbage time
Despite not being named the backup quarterback during Week 7, Jameis Winston showed out in his limited snaps. While he was not efficient, he found TE David Njoku in the end zone with ease and almost made the game interesting with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. Winston has been riding the bench for a while, and is a veteran of this league. He makes the most sense to be named the next starting quarterback next week against the Baltimore Ravens instead of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who really struggled in relief of Watson.
Baltimore is no joke. The Browns would need a perfect game to come close to beating the top team in the AFC North next week. Perhaps with a fresh face under center and with Chubb even more comfortable after his return in Week 7, Cleveland can finally, at least, crack 20 points and challenge the Ravens for a win in Week 8.