Deshaun Watson’s 2025 season was already over when the Browns’ co-owner Jimmy Haslam labeled him “a big swing and miss” for the franchise. And when you already have four quarterbacks fighting for the starting role, barely anybody will care about a controversial, declining, and largely unhealthy choice. Well, Watson did say earlier this year that his comeback will be “way better than before.” But even if the $230 million quarterback becomes fully fit to play, the Browns would not want him to play.

The Browns have an insurance policy included in their $230 million contract with Watson. And per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, if Watson is unable to play because of his twice-torn Achilles tendon, the insurance policy allows Cleveland to save a lot of cash and recoup a lot of cap space. “If he gets a clean bill of health, that’s going to complicate Cleveland’s plan this year. They’d love for him not to play,” Florio said.

Per ESPN, the Browns saved up to $13.9 million cap space in 2024 and can save as much as $44.2 million in 2025 of his salary insured. So, when HC Stefanski announced the latest Deshaun Watson update on July 22, it did not come as a surprise. The Cleveland Browns are set to open camp this week with notable absences from key players due to injuries. In an official statement, the team confirmed the placement of quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP).

The Browns’ official statement read: “We’ve placed DT Mike Hall Jr. and QB Deshaun Watson on Active/Physically Unable to Perform, WR David Bell on Active/Non-Football Injury, and waived WR Jaelen Gill.” Despite the Browns not being too keen on having Watson back in their active QB room, the team’s official statement confirmed that Watson will be eligible to be activated upon passing a physical.

Considering the 29-year-old QB has a long road of recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered last October, there is still no timetable for his medical clearance. While defensive tackle Hall Jr. and wide receiver Bell are also on the PUP and active/non-football injury list, respectively, unlike Deshaun, these two are expected to be activated at some point during the training camp itself.

The quarterback continues to rehab from a ruptured Achilles tendon operated on in January, just three months after initially injuring the same leg in a matchup against Cincinnati. Watson’s long road to recovery includes months of on-site rehab at the team’s facility and active participation in offseason meetings alongside fellow quarterbacks Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders, who is the odd man out there.

Per the latest report from Maggie Gray of Maggie and Perloff, the Browns can cut Shedeur from the roster even before the season begins. “It’s a crowded quarterback room, and the messaging coming out of the Browns the moment after they took Shedeur was, ‘This was a low-risk, no-risk. We’re not tied to him at all,’” Gray said. 

Despite the uncertainty, head coach Kevin Stefanski has only praised his rookie signal callers for their work ethic. praised both rookie signal-callers for their work ethic. “Those guys are doing great,” Stefanski said last month. “They are both wired to get in early, stay late, put in whatever work is required.”

With the regular season barely six weeks away, what are your thoughts on Sanders and Watson’s fate this season?