Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his right Achilles tendon Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals and will miss the remainder of the season, the team confirmed Monday.
Watson suffered a minor injury in the second quarter of the game which ended 21-14 in favor of the Bengals.
Watson will go under the knife, said the Browns, who confirmed the diagnosis from the magnetic resonance imaging test.
This is Watson’s second significant injury in two seasons. He suffered a glenohumeral joint fracture last year.
The 29-year-old quarterback collapsed without being tackled at the end of a play in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson lay sprawled on the lawn. Video replays showed unusual movement in his calf, which often occurs when there is a torn Achilles tendon.
While he was on the ground, some Browns fans exclaimed with joy, provoking a very strong reaction from several of Watson’s teammates, who are losing for the fifth time in a row.
This injury is another unexpected development in Watson’s controversial time with the Browns.
The latter traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans and gave him a guaranteed contract worth US$230 million in 2022. The deal was reached when Watson was accused by more than two dozen women of assault sexual harassment and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled all but one of these civil suits out of court.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns, and he made only six starts last season before injuring his shoulder.
