Sep 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have opened a 21-day practice window for injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s missed the entire 2025 season while rehabilitating from multiple ruptures to his right Achilles tendon. He originally tore it during Week 7 of the 2024 campaign and reinjured it three months later during the early stages of his recovery.

It’s natural to wonder what’s behind the move for a last-place team that’s been evaluating rookie passers Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for most of this season and has already acknowledged how disastrous the trade for Watson was – the controversial former Pro Bowler with his sordid off-field baggage coming to Cleveland in 2022 for a boatload of compensation, including three first-round draft picks, before signing a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

"We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun," Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said at the league’s spring meeting in March.

The Browns finished last in the AFC North in two of Watson's first three seasons and only made the playoffs in 2023, when he was injured, thanks to an inspired run by Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco.

"We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get (Watson)," said Haslam. "So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It) was an entire organization decision and it ends with (Haslam’s wife) Dee and I, so hold us accountable."

Haslam’s mea culpa, the club’s decision to select Gabriel and Sanders in this year’s draft, the accumulation of multiple first-round picks for the 2026 draft and the restructuring of Watson’s deal all seem to be fairly clear indicators that the high-priced passer probably won’t play for Cleveland again.

So why open the practice window for Watson, who’s been on the reserve/physically unable to perform list all year? Let’s try to answer a few questions on that front.

Why are the Browns letting Deshaun Watson practice?

In the most basic sense, it’s the next waypoint on his rehabilitation road.

“Excited for him. His focus, my focus is obviously getting him back to playing football, practicing football, which he hasn’t done in over a year. Good next step for him,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said during his press conference Wednesday.

The immediate goal is to get Watson, who did not speak to reporters Wednesday, into individual drills. Depending on how things go, Stefanski said he could eventually get repetitions with the scout team. However the need to get work for inexperienced players like Sanders and Gabriel remains a priority.

“I feel like it’s great he’s going out to practice,” Sanders said of Watson. “He’s been working hard to recover.”

Do the Browns want Deshaun Watson to play in 2025?

The circumstances pretty clearly signal no, though Stefanski deflected when asked about the three-time Pro Bowler’s outlook for this season.

“Really not my focus, not his focus right this minute,” he said. “His focus is putting a helmet on again for the first time, shoulder pads, throwing a football – that’s where the focus is.”

Has Deshaun Watson been a good mentor for Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel?

According to Stefanski, the relationships among the Browns’ quarterbacks is outstanding – and Watson has been part of team meetings and attending games well before his practice window opened.

“He’s been so supportive in the meeting room, on the game field with the players,” said Stefanski. “I know he’s excited to get back out there practicing with his teammates.”

The coach later added: “I think having a guy like Deshaun in there, who’s seen so much and has been through different situations and can provide great counsel to young quarterbacks, I just think that’s invaluable.”

Watson has been the most experienced quarterback on the Browns’ extended roster since Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in October, and Stefanski thinks having him on the practice field is an added opportunity for Watson to convey his NFL experience.

“Deshaun’s been outstanding with all those guys,” Stefanski said while referencing the team’s other QBs. “It’s really an impressive group that helps each other.

“Having all those guys on the field I think is beneficial.”

Are the Browns hoping to showcase Deshaun Watson for a subsequent trade?

It’s a plus for Watson to get onto the practice field in hopes of resuming and resurrecting his career. Whether it will actually happen is anyone’s guess.

Even if he’d played well for the Browns – he hasn’t, losing 10 of his 19 starts during his injury-riddled stint in Cleveland and compiling an 80.7 passer rating with the club – his contract and off-field issues likely make him essentially radioactive moving forward.

Watson’s rampantly lurid behavior at Houston-area massage parlors when he was a member of the Texans led to more than two dozen lawsuits and an 11-game suspension from the NFL, which also mandated that he undergo evaluation and counseling. His acquisition by the Browns caused many supporters to turn in their fan cards and also necessitated the trade of then-incumbent quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has since blossomed into a Pro Bowler for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Asked if the Browns are hoping to salvage the trade, Stefanski replied: “Not my focus … really just excited for him to be able to get back out there on the field. I think for any player when you’re rehabbing, the next step getting out there on the practice field is a big step, so I’m excited for him."

Were the Browns compelled to open Deshaun Watson’s practice window?

Any notion that Watson forced the team’s hand or that the NFL Players Association helped on his behalf is apparently a misguided theory.

“Absolutely not,” a person familiar with Watson’s situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person received anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

“It’s simply the next phase of his rehab.”

Will Deshaun Watson play in 2025?

Never say never. Quarterbacks get injured, and Gabriel and Sanders both have been. Gabriel was concussed last month, paving the way for Sanders’ first regular-season action, and both players dealt with assorted issues during training camp and preseason. Bailey Zappe is also on the practice squad. It seems unlikely they’d all get hurt over the final five games and effectively force Watson on to the 53-man roster, but stranger scenarios have developed before in this league.

What happens at the end of Deshaun Watson's practice window?

Watson's three-week clock now initiated, the Browns must ultimately make a decision on his status. If Watson isn't restored to Cleveland's 53-man roster by the end of the window, he'll revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Will Deshaun Watson be released in 2026?

Obviously, TBD. But the tea leaves suggest this is his last year in Cleveland – especially given the rookie passers on the roster and strong likelihood another one will join them in five months.

Watson’s restructured deal expires following the 2026 season. He’s still owed a fully guaranteed $131.2 million from the Browns, but his contract’s new architecture would allow Cleveland to spread the cap hit into 2027 if he’s designated as a post-June 1 release next year.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are Browns opening Deshaun Watson's practice window? Answering complex question

Reporting by Nate Davis, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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