The Cleveland Browns' Kevin Stefanski reveals Deshaun Watson is making good progress in his bid to recover from an Achilles injury, although the head coach doesn't confirm a return timeline.
Despite g one of the most attractive contracts in NFL history, the 29-year-old finds himself competing for his future in the sport after a string of injuries and controversies turned his career into disaster.
Penned to a fully guaranteed $230m deal, he has only played 19 games for the franchise and has a losing record. Additionally, he is yet to complete a single full season with availability at the Huntington Bank Field.
Now he's sidelined once again after sustaining a second Achilles injury in under six months, one that could leave him in physio for the entire duration of the 2025/26 NFL season.
It opens the door for the likes of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders to depose the injured quarterback, who has also faced a series of sexual assault allegations against his name - most recently in September 2024.
But he could offer himself a lifeline by returning to play sooner than expected as the Browns' head coach offers an encouraging update from the perspective of the ex-Houston Texans player.
"He's working really hard," Stefanski told reporters on May 11. "Doing a nice job in his rehab. Doing a great job in the meeting room as well."
Surgery for an Achilles injury can typically take around six to 12 months, as evidenced by Aaron Rodgers at the New York Jets in 2023; although the same level of strength may never return.
For example, Rodgers himself itted although he could reach the same top speed in a sprint, he was unable to apply the same explosiveness and that contributed to him producing 11 interceptions and being sacked 40 times in 2024/25.
Browns impressed by Sanders
One of the big questions ahead of the 2025/26 NFL season is just exactly where Shedeur Sanders falls in the Cleveland pecking order when it comes to the quarterbacks.
Despite being tipped as a first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, he had a dramatic slump and eventually fell all the way down to languish as the 144th pick when the Browns eventually took him.
He's now up against Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel in his bid to establish himself on the football scene, but based on his efforts at the rookie training camp in Ohio, he seems to be making the right impression.
"He's been everything we hoped for so far," quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees said of Sanders, to the Browns' media. "Good communicator.
"Asks smart questions, shows up prepared."
Sanders looks to earn a spot on the roster ahead of the start of the campaign in September.