Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson out for season

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 12: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns looks on against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

by: Orri Benatar

Posted: Nov 15, 2023 / 09:14 AM EST

Updated: Nov 15, 2023 / 11:13 AM EST

CLEVELAND (WCMH) — The Cleveland Browns will no longer have its starting quarterback for the rest of the 2023 season as they chase a potential playoff berth.

The team announced Wednesday morning that Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of the year after doctors discovered a fracture in his right shoulder that will require surgery. Watson sustained the shoulder injury and a left ankle injury in the Browns 33-31 win over the Ravens on Sunday.

Watson, who missed four games with a rotator cuff injury earlier this season, is expected to return for Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Watson ends the season after playing five full games where the team went 4-1. He threw for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 61.4% completion rate. He is the second key offensive starter to suffer a second-ending injury in 2023 with running back Nick Chubb’s year ending after a gruesome knee injury in Week 2.

The Browns will now go with P.J. Walker at quarterback who has started three times this season already, leading the Browns to two wins. His first game as the de facto No. 1 QB will be on Sunday when Cleveland hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North showdown. Cleveland enters the game Sunday with a 6-3 record and currently sit in position for an AFC Wild Card spot.