Browns GM noncommittal on Deshaun Watson as starting QB in 2025 - ESPN

BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry was noncommittal when asked Wednesday about Deshaun Watson's standing with the franchise, as the quarterback's struggles in Cleveland continued before he sustained a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear in Week 7.

«Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,» Berry said during a news conference with reporters during the team's bye week. «Everything else, we'll deal with at a later moment.»

Before the injury, Watson posted the lowest total QBR of any qualified passer in the NFL. The Browns were 1-5 in Watson's six starts before he tore his Achilles and didn't reach 20 points in any of those games.

Berry, though, said the offense's issues were not limited to Watson.

«We haven't played well as a team and we haven't played well as a unit on offense,» Berry said. «I think oftentimes when you don't play well on offense, obviously your starting quarterback and your playcaller will get the most criticism. But the reality of it is, offenses, it comes down to organization and synchronization. There's just a lot of shared ownership across the different position groups in terms of why we didn't perform.»

Since trading three first-round picks and giving Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract before the 2022 season, Watson has started 19 games, with each of his last two seasons ending because of injury. He missed the final eight games of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery to his throwing shoulder. He served an 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual