Deshaun Watson is sharing his rapid recovery from his Achilles injury on his Instagram. How wonderful for him. It’s the Newswire.
For some reason, I’m not allowed to embed Deshaun Watson’s latest post on his Instagram account. Probably because we’re not “friends” or whatever. No big deal. It’s here if you want to log in and look at it.
The post shows Watson standing on a long brick driveway without assistance, saying, “Back on my Feet! MORE GLORY!” Which is nice.
He’s restricted which Instagram users can comment on the post, so it’s all supportive comments from his friends like Greg Newsome and Michael Woods. Watson remains popular with teammates, even if Browns fans have (at best) mixed feelings about the quarterback.
It’s good that Deshaun is happy, I guess. It’s good that he’s standing after a dangerous Achilles injury. Medical science must have improved – I remember when these suggested that careers were over. Fellow quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers could play Week 1 of the next season after suffering similar injuries the year before, although they had terrible seasons compared to prior years. So, it’s possible that Watson could be ready quickly and appears to be rapidly recovering.
If Watson’s play degrades further like that of Rodgers and Cousins, though, the potential statistics would challenge the boundaries of NFL futility. In 2024, he went 1-6 as a starter, compiling barely over 1,000 yards passing and a league-low quarterback rating. It’s hard to imagine being worse than that.
If I can be sincere, I was hoping that Watson would spend the 2025 season’s early months (if not the entire season) on the PUP list so that the Browns could work with other quarterbacks. While salary cap concerns will likely keep Watson on the roster, it was my hope not to hear much about the player.
I’d rather concern myself with quarterbacks who might have a future with the franchise. Quarterbacks who I want to see under center for the Cleveland Browns in 2025. Watson is not one of those.
But I suspect we’ll get a sales effort that Watson still has potential. This will be less from the team than from those around Watson, who I believe were responsible for a series of rationales and excuses for his 2024 play, which appeared in a local publication last month, alongside statements about how he would be given opportunities in 2025.
I’m watching the effect that Watson is having on a desperate Cleveland media, many of which should know better. The impact of his acquisition on the Browns fanbase has been spectacularly negative, chasing away fans, destroying the 2024 season, and, in turn, destroying the audience for Browns games and media coverage of the team. The media – and not just the usual suspects – are turning increasingly to sensationalism and clickbait on all forms of media to try to stir up any interest to keep fans tuning in as the domino effect of the team’s ineptitude ripples through the ecosystem, which depends on interest in the team to survive.
In the midst of this, I met with a friend yesterday for coffee and talked about a variety of things. I returned from the meeting with a legacy Browns scarf, knit cap, and a beautiful helmet-emblazoned coffee mug. All these treasures from better days will take up places in my daily use of Browns gear.
The items were available because my friend had given up on the Browns (he’s no longer in the Cleveland area) in disgust and has devoted himself to the Packers and Bills, teams he had always followed but which he feels are more true to their fans and more honest. The acquisition of Watson started his movement away, but hearing Stefanski tell Browns fans that Watson gave the team “the best chance to win” was the absolute last straw for him. He’s not the only one. He tells me he feels “free” since his decision.
Sure, Watson has his money, and I’m glad he’s doing better; the Browns will make hundreds of millions no matter what, and Jimmy Haslam will scheme up billion-dollar investments for him and his pals, but the rest of the ecosystem is dying because of the team’s decisions. The downtown restaurants, the gear vendors, the media outlets, and anyone dependent on interest in the team is sucking air or selling out right now because of this guy, his history, and the failure he brought with him.
And so it goes.
