Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will undergo season-ending surgery after suffering a fracture in his throwing shoulder.
Watson underwent an MRI on Monday after sustaining two separate injuries while guiding the Browns to a huge 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
While imaging revealed Watson had suffered a sprain to his left ankle, it also showed a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, causing team doctors to recommend immediate surgery in order to avoid further structural damage.
Cleveland confirmed Watson will be placed on injured reserve and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024 season in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Deshaun Watson will undergo season-ending surgery on a broken bone in his throwing shoulder. pic.twitter.com/W79ku2xzND
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 15, 2023
Wednesday’s news comes as a monumental blow for the Browns, who moved to 6-3 for the season with Sunday’s walk-off victory over an in-form divisional rival, which arguably represented Watson’s best game in a Cleveland uniform.
Watson has already missed three full games with a rotator cuff strain in the same shoulder this season. The Browns lost two of those games, against the Ravens in Week 4 and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, though they did beat the San Francisco 49ers without the former Houston Texan in Week 6.
Backup quarterback PJ Walker has thrown for a total of 618 yards with just one touchdown and five interceptions over five games – two of them starts – this season.
Watson’s injury comes at a key time for Kevin Stefanski’s team, who face another huge divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday.
