Watson to have season-ending shoulder surgery, DTR to start Week 11

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of the season after suffering a shoulder injury in the first half of last Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced Wednesday.

An MRI revealed a displaced fracture to the glenoid of Watson's throwing shoulder, which will require surgery.

Watson is expected to make a full recovery for the start of the 2024 campaign.

"I'm still in disbelief. I'm still trying to process all the information," Watson said, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN.

"I felt like we were turning a corner to really make a run and still believe we still will with the guys in this locker room. I just wanted to physically be a part of it. ... It's tough to try to wrap everything around my head right now."

The signal-caller also sustained a left high ankle sprain against Baltimore. Despite his injuries, Watson was able to finish the Week 10 game, throwing for 213 yards and one touchdown against one interception.

Watson said he "pushed very hard" to play through the injury but doctors told him "there was no chance," according to Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network.

The 28-year-old has been plagued by shoulder issues this season since hurting his throwing arm in Week 3. He missed three games because of the initial injury - a rotator cuff contusion - and played just 12 snaps in the Browns' Week 7 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Wednesday that Watson's displaced fracture was "a completely new injury" and not related to the rotator cuff contusion.

Cleveland will start rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson over P.J. Walker in Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Kevin Stefanski said.

Thompson-Robinson struggled in his lone career start, throwing three interceptions and just 121 yards on 36 attempts in a Week 4 loss to the Ravens.

Berry said the team will add a third quarterback behind Thompson-Robinson and Walker, who started two games and finished the victory over the Colts when Watson was sidelined.

Watson has completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions in 2023.

The Browns signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230-million contract following a trade from the Houston Texans.

With his season-ending shoulder injury and a suspension to start the 2022 campaign, Watson will have played in just 12 games in his first two years in Cleveland.

Cleveland's offense has been ravaged by injuries this season, with All-Pro running back Nick Chubb and right tackle Jack Conklin also on the sidelines for the rest of the year.