Browns QB Deshaun Watson says last time he was fully healthy was 2023 Week 3 vs. Titans

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday, his first media appearance in over a year and a half, according to one reporter.

Watson talked about how he was feeling heading into the season, and he was happy to report he is fully healthy at this point in the offseason.

The veteran quarterback hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 20, 2024, against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he tore his Achilles.

His recovery from the injury did not go as planned; he re-ruptured the same Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the entire 2025 season.

The 30-year-old quarterback joined the Browns ahead of the 2022 season and has played a total of 19 games over the four seasons he has been in Cleveland. Health has been a major concern, but he assured reporters on Wednesday that he was fully healthy.

Watson even elaborated on his health, saying he is fully healthy, which hasn’t been a given. “Now, I’m fully healthy. I haven’t been 100% since that Tennessee game in ’23,” Watson said.

Cleveland played the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 24, 2023, and it was the game in which Watson took a big hit and hurt his shoulder. It caused him to miss more than a month of action, and by mid-November, he was shut down for the year.

The QB is in the final year of his current deal with the Browns. He was asked about his mindset for 2027, but he didn’t look that far ahead. Instead, Watson said, “Just trying to play a full season. Just trying to be healthy and play all 17 games. I don’t know what happens after that.”

Watson and second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders are the frontrunners to be the starting QB for the Browns when they open the regular season in September against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The veteran was asked if he ever had any doubt that he would start for the Browns again, to which he responded, “Um … No. And that’s just internal conversation.”

Despite this, new head coach Todd Monken had wanted to make a starting QB decision by the end of minicamp, but has recently said he will likely be waiting until training camp.