Kevin Stefanski addresses Deshaun Watson’s future with Browns

Jun 14, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs a play during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski weighed in on quarterback Deshaun Watson’s long-term future with the Cleveland Browns after Watson suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday.

Stefanski was fairly non-committal about Watson’s future when the subject came up on Monday. The Browns coach made clear he still believes in Watson, but was not willing to get into how things might look when the quarterback is healthy again.

“Obviously I believe in Deshaun, but I also think it’s important just to acknowledge that he just had a bad injury and a bad break for him and we’re feeling bad for him,” Stefanski said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “(I) know that he’ll bounce back, but not getting into all those things down the road. I’m looking forward to him getting the surgery and obviously getting his body back.”

Stefanski is walking a bit of a tightrope here. Obviously, he is correct that for Watson, the priority is to undergo surgery and get healthy, with an Achilles tear likely to rule him out for as long as 9-12 months. Once he is ready to practice and play again, the Browns will have to see how he looks physically.

The other angle is that Watson was not performing even before he got hurt. Many would suggest that Stefanski and the Browns use the injury as a chance to evaluate other quarterbacks and potentially look at finding a long-term replacement, either through the NFL Draft or otherwise. Veteran Jameis Winston is unlikely to be that long-term guy, but second-year pro Dorian Thompson-Robinson could get an extended look for the rest of the season.

Watson still has two years remaining on his contract and will be owed $46 million per year. He won’t be going anywhere until that deal ends, leaving the Browns with some tough decisions to make in the future.