It's been 412 days since Deshaun Watson last practiced with his teammates. Wednesday was a big day for the quarterback recovering from two Achilles tendon surgeries. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
It was a day that few thought would ever come – Deshaun Watson practicing with his Browns teammates once again.
Watson was medically cleared to return to practice, thereby opening a 21-day window for the Browns to determine his roster status through the rest of the 2025 season. Watson can eventually be activated or be IR’d any time during the 21 days.
Watson’s return to practice was 412 days, two Achilles tendon surgeries, and months of arduous and lonely rehabilitation in the making.
“He’s has been working so hard, rehabbing, so finally to get out there on the practice field with his teammates to go through individual, I think this is really great for him, so excited for him,” said coach Kevin Stefanski.
On October 20, 2024, Watson suffered a torn right Achilles tendon against the Cincinnati Bengals after completing 15 of 17 passes and putting the Browns in position to take a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. He was derisively and meanly cheered by thousands of Browns fans in Huntington Bank Field.
Some time in January, Watson re-tore the same Achilles tendon under unclear circumstances brushed off by the Browns as “nothing nefarious.” He had a second surgery on January 9.
And then on March 31, in a conference room on the mezzanine level of The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, FL, during NFL meetings, owner Jimmy Haslam uttered the comments that sounded like the kiss of death to Watson’s career with the Browns.
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole,” Haslam said.
And yet there was Watson on Wednesday, taking snaps in the open-media portion of practice, along with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel and Bailey Zappe.
Who’d have thunk it?
Now what?
If the Browns used up the whole 21 days to decide Watson’s roster fate, there would be only two games left on the schedule – December 28 at home against the Steelers and January 3 or 4 at Cincinnati. The Browns could make a decision on Watson’s season fate at any time.
I asked Stefanski if it is the organization’s desire to see Watson in a live game before the season expires. Watson has another year left on his $230 million guaranteed contract and there is some sentiment to see him play again to assess their options for him in 2026.
“Really not the focus for me, for him, for us,” Stefanski said. “Our focus is activating this practice window, seeing him on the practice field, getting him into individual [practice periods], those types of things. And I think, I want to point out he’s worked really hard to rehab from this. He’s done everything that’s asked of him. So, he’s been so supportive in the meeting room, on the game field with the players. Now he gets to go do that on the practice field.”
In a season that featured Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Tyler Huntley, Gabriel, Sanders and Zappe already on the practice field, what’s one more quarterback got to do with it, right?
Fences mended?
The CBS broadcast of the Browns-49ers game captured a heated conversation on the sideline between Sanders and receiver Jerry Jeudy as they both viewed a play on an electronic tablet. At one point, center Ethan Pocic walked between the teammates to separate them.
On Wednesday, both players diffused the incident as typical frustration during a game.
“We spoke about it. We good,” Jeudy said. “If I could’ve done anything different, I probably would have just talked to him off camera. I’m gonna speak my mind and tell him what I see out there. It is what it is. Me and Shedeur good. Stuff like that happens. You’all gonna make it bigger than what it is because the media always tries to feed off negativity. This is the life we live. We move on from it.”
Sanders said, “Yeah, we resolved that. We’re not going to speak on that.”
Asked if they were cool with each other, Sanders said, “I would hope so.”
‘See it and hit it’
Analysts who’ve dissected the film review of Sanders’ second NFL start pointed out more than one play on which he failed to deliver the ball to an open Jeudy in the 49ers game.
Noting that “I see my faults … what I do good and what I need to work on,” Sanders said he just needs more reps with his receivers to do a better job of getting the ball to them.
“I would say overall, I would say just being able to get on the same page and trust,” he said. “The hardest thing in this game right now is having trust. Having trust in everybody. Certain movements, certain ways we make eye contact, like, certain things are so detailed, and that’s how I play very comfortably. So that’s how I get in my comfort zone. That’s how I get in my bag. That’s how I’m able to do that.
“So, it’s different because this is a different year. It’s not a traditional way. It’s not a traditional situation. And that’s OK, ‘cause it’s a challenge. And I know we’re gonna be able to overcome the challenge, but it just expedites everything. And you just go out there and just take risks. It is what it is.”
Sanders said he must improve on getting the ball to open receivers.
“Like I say, go out there and just pull the trigger. Well, nah, that’s not a great term,” he said with a laugh. “But what I mean by that is … go out there and see it and just hit it, you know? See it and hit it. Trust my eyes. Understand everything that I’ve been studying. And the game, I’ll say, is slowing down a little bit for me, and just trust what I see.”
He continued, “I would say, sometimes I look for the big play, and I do that when I feel like I’m pressing. Like, I feel like we need to get a spark, we need to get the energy. That’s typically when I do that, whenever [we’re] stagnant. So, that’s something I review with myself, and I know in those situations, I can’t do that at certain times. But that’s just something I live and I’m gonna grow from in doing that. And just trusting the team, trusting everybody, that things are going to be all right.”
Brownie bits
On Monday, Stefanski expressed confidence in Gage Larvadain, who had three muffed punts and one lost fumble in 26 mph wind gusts in the 49ers game, and Wednesday the coach said Larvadain would remain the No. 1 punt returner …
With right guard Wyatt Teller (calf) already declared out for the Titans game, Stefanski has said veteran Teven Jenkins will move into the starting spot. Why not second-year guard Zak Zinter? “We talk through all those types of things,” Stefanski said. “There’s always things that we discuss throughout the week.” …
Practice DNPs were tight end Brenden Bates (ankle), linebacker Devin Bush (foot), offensive tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), defensive tackle Adin Huntington (quad), linebacker Isaiah McGuire (knee), running back Dylan Sampson (knee) and guard Wyatt Teller (quad).