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Deshaun Watson Injury History & Updates

Basic StatsDeshaun Watson's Basic Stats

Deshaun Watson
ADP: N/A
Bye: 10
Experience: 7
Age: 29.0
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 223
40 Time: 4.66

SPARQx (Rank): 98.90 (76%)
Burst Score (Rank): 116.40 (74%)
Agility Score (Rank): 11.26 (75%)
Throw Velocity (Rank): 49.00 (2%)

Injury PredictorDeshaun Watson's Injury Guide

Very Low Risk

Chance of Injury in 2024

20.8%

% chance misses at least 2 quarters

Chance of Injury per Game

1.4%

1- 17√1-% Inj/Season

Projected Games Missed 2024

1.10

Durability

3.10

Ability to produce despire relatively minor injuries. 5 being most durable

Injury analysis powered by Draft Sharks Injury Guide, formerly SIP Logo

Injury History

Date League Injury Details
Nov 20, 2014 Non-NFL Knee ACL Tear Grade 3 Watson suffered a torn left ACL in practice. He played with the injury vs. South Carolina on 11/29/14.
Oct 11, 2014 Non-NFL Hand Finger Fracture Watson sat out 3 games before returning vs. Georgia Tech.
Apr 7, 2014 Non-NFL Shoulder Clavicle Fracture Watson sustained a slight crack in his collarbone during a spring scrimmage.
Nov 15, 2014 Non-NFL Knee LCL Sprain Grade 2 Watson suffered a sprained left LCL vs. Georgia Tech.
Nov 2, 2017 NFL Knee ACL Tear Grade 3 Watson tore his right ACL in practice.
Dec 25, 2019 NFL Back Lower Lumbar Sprain Watson with back injury was listed as limited participant ahead of the Week 17 game against the Titans. He was active and served as the backup to AJ McCarron in the contest
Sep 24, 2023 NFL Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear Watson sustained a rotator cuff injury in his throwing arm in Week 3 vs. the Titans. He returned to play in Week 7.
Oct 22, 2023 NFL Shoulder Scapula Fracture Watson reaggravated his throwing shoulder in Week 7 vs. the Colts. He returned to play again in Week 9 and participated in two more games before being diagnosed with a fracture in the arm. He was later shut down for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season.

Basic StatsDeshaun Watson's Preseason Player Analysis

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Bottom Line

Watson will need to look a lot different from the version we got the past two years to become a fantasy difference-maker in 2024. Considering he’s still working back from shoulder surgery as of this writing, we’ll need to see a lot more before elevating him from the QB2-3 fringe.

What We Learned Last Year

  • Watson presents plenty of on-field issues to match his off-field set.
  • The QB struggled to stay healthy in his first non-suspension year with the Browns.
    • He suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3 that cost him two games.
    • He aggravated that injury early in his Week 7 return and missed another contest.
    • Watson then suffered the season-ending shoulder fracture in Week 10 that would require surgery.
    • He has still been working back up to full strength through the offseason program.
  • The timeline of last year’s health struggles make it tough to know how much time Watson actually spent fully healthy. When he did play, the results proved disappointing:
    • His 4.1% passing-TD rate matched his 2022 career low.
    • Watson’s 61.4% completion rate exceeded only his 2022 number (58.2%).
    • He posted a career low in passing success rate (according to Pro Football Reference), matched his low for yards per pass attempt, and set a low for yards per completion.
  • Pro Football Focus credited him with a better passing grade than in 2022. But Watson ranked just 26th among 45 QBs with 150+ dropbacks. Other ranks among that group included:
    • 37th in completion rate
    • 32nd in adjusted completion rate
    • 41st in completion rate over expected
    • 30th in yards per attempt
  • Watson also set career lows in rushing attempts and rushing yards per game.

What to Expect in 2024

  • The Browns traded for WR Jerry Jeudy and promptly extended his contract. It’s understandable if you don’t find Jeudy an exciting player at this point, but he’s most likely an upgrade over what Elijah Moore delivered the past two years – and potentially a big one.
  • Has Moore been a significant hurdle between Watson and success, either in real or fantasy football? Probably not.
  • The key to Watson rebounding as a fantasy asset will be him proving he can still play. He hasn’t even looked good for any meaningful stretch with the Browns yet. His supporting talent – Jeudy, Amari Cooper, Moore (as WR3), David Njoku, and a solid backfield – looks plenty strong enough.
  • Cleveland replaced OC Alex Van Pelt this offseason. Ken Dorsey takes over after spending most of the past five years with the Bills, first as QBs coach and then as OC the past two years.
    • Although Buffalo sported a better record after the OC switch, advanced metrics suggest the offensive performance didn’t actually improve and may have lagged. The Bills benefited from being on the right side of turnover regression.
    • Dorsey proved more pass-leaning in Buffalo than replacement Joe Brady did over the second half of last season.
    • The Browns of the past two seasons ranked 19th in neutral-situation pass rate, according to RBSDM.com. The Bills ranked fourth.
  • Combine that with the Jeudy trade and Nick Chubb’s knee injury, and it’s not hard to envision this year’s Browns leaning pass a bit more. An increase in passing volume would obviously give Watson more opportunities to compile numbers, even if his efficiency doesn’t rebound significantly.

Recent Injury Bites View All Shark Bites »

Deshaun Watson, QB CLE

3:29pm EST 2/19/24

Deshaun Watson expected to resume throwing in March

Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is expected to resume throwing in March, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. His rehab from November surgery on his right shoulder has gone smoothly by all accounts. Watson got back in the weight room this week, per Cabot, and should at least be a limited participant in April's OTAs. Watson was mostly disappointing prior to that shoulder injury last year, finishing the 2023 campaign with a 61% completion rate and 6.5 yards per attempt. It's been three years now since Watson's big 2020 season -- and it's becoming increasingly unlikely that he returns to that level of play. But he did still average 23.7 rushing yards per game last year, which gives Watson a chance to be a fantasy asset in 2024 even if his real-life performance is lacking. He scored as a top-10 fantasy QB in three of his five full games last year. We'll keep tabs on that right shoulder.

View all Deshaun Watson Shark Bites »

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said at Sunday's season-ending press conference that the team still has a "ton of confidence" in QB Deshaun Watson. Injuries limited Watson to just six games this season -- the last of which was a broken glenoid in his throwing shoulder that required surgery in November. “He’s doing great in rehab," Stefanski said. "I’m confident he’ll be ready to roll this spring. He’s chomping at the bit, but he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do when it comes to what the doctors are telling him and as he rehabs through this, but he’ll be ready to roll.” Watson's recovery from that surgery is one question heading into 2024. But the bigger one is his ability at this point. Watson put more bad than good on tape this past year, finishing with a 61.4% completion rate and 6.5 yards per attempt. QB Joe Flacco was much more productive in the same offense down the stretch. Watson can't be considered more than a QB2 in early fantasy drafts. We'll track his rehab.

View all Deshaun Watson Shark Bites »

Browns QB Deshaun Watson needs season-ending surgery on his right shoulder after injuring it early in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. Watson suffered a "displaced fracture in his right glenoid," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The QB played through it for the rest of that game and reportedly wanted to keep playing through it. But NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that doctors told him, "If he got hit again in the same spot, the shoulder could fall apart." Watson is expected to fully recover ahead of the 2024 season.

View all Deshaun Watson Shark Bites »

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