Browns Officially Place Deshaun Watson On IR Among Other Moves

The Cleveland Browns announced they have officially placed QB Deshaun Watson on injured reserve. 

We’ve signed QB Bailey Zappe to the active roster, placed QB Deshaun Watson on injured reserve and made other roster moves

» https://t.co/E9QLQ3aCoi pic.twitter.com/HYdVUcAivJ

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2024

The team also signed QB Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs practice squad, waived LB Tony Fields from injured reserve, re-signed RB Gary Brightwell to the practice squad and cut OL Sebastian Gutierrez. 

Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, and then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as a part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 61.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,020 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.