Cleveland Browns announce Deshaun Watson underwent successful shoulder surgery

The Cleveland Browns have revealed quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent successful shoulder surgery on Tuesday.

It was revealed last week that the former Clemson Tigers quarterback would miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a season-ending shoulder injury. The news came after Watson led the Browns to a victory over the Baltimore Ravens, which was one of the best moments since his arrival in Cleveland.

The Browns shared a statement to X, formerly know as Twitter, on the matter, explaining Watson’s rehab process will also begin this week on Friday.

An update on Deshaun Watson following today's successful shoulder surgery: pic.twitter.com/nVsdughmon

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 21, 2023

“Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent surgery today to repair a displaced fractured to the glenoid in his right shoulder,” Cleveland announced. “The surgery was performed by Neal ElAttrache, MD, in Los Angeles and was deemed successful.

“The rehab process is scheduled to begin on Friday, and a full recovery is expected prior to the start of the 2024 season.”

Alas, Watson tried his best to play through the pain. The quarterback claimed he wanted to delay his surgery until the end of the season, but there was no chance given to him by the medical team.

“I pushed very hard (to play), to the point where all the experts and doctors were the ones that told me there’s no chance,” Watson told reporters after the Browns announced the stunning injury news.

“I pushed as far as I possibly could to get back out there and just try to play and push it toward after the season. (And) I think the best situation for longevity and my career is to get immediate surgery. That’s what all the experts said, so I gotta follow their footsteps and go from there.”

Regardless, the Browns won their first game without Watson, as Dorian Thompson-Robinson led Cleveland to a 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, the Browns defense did much of the heavy lifting, but still.

The end of his season still stings for Watson. He added earlier that it’s tough for him to get it through his head that he’s done for the season, and he wants to be a part of the Browns’ playoff run.

“I’m still in disbelief,” Watson said. “I’m still trying to process all the information. I felt like we were turning a corner to really make a run and still believe we still will with the guys in this locker room. I just wanted to physically be a part of it. … It’s tough to try to wrap everything around my head right now.”

We won’t see Deshaun Watson until 2024. He played some uneven football this season, but we’ll see if there’s better times ahead moving forward.