Browns Decide Deshaun Watson’s Game Status Leading Into Steelers Matchup

The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Browns this Sunday, and Cleveland has announced its decision on quarterback Deshaun Watson’s status.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Tuesday that Cleveland will not activate Watson from the physically unable to perform list, effectively ending his season.

“He’s done a great job with everything that’s been asked of him,” Stefanski said on Watson, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “I’ve gotten to see him work so hard, whether it’s in the training room, by himself in the indoor with the trainers, on the practice field now for the last bit. Just felt like this was the right decision for him and for us. His focus will continue to be to help this football team and continue to get healthy and get stronger and all those types of things.”

Watson has been out of action since last season after tearing his Achilles tendon midway through the year. He faced a setback when he re-tore his Achilles at the beginning of 2025, delaying his recovery.

It always felt unlikely that Watson would see the field this season, especially after the Browns selected two quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders has stepped into a nice role for Cleveland over the last five games and could be the Browns’ starting quarterback in 2026.

Watson is still under contract through 2026, so if the Browns decide to keep him, there could be a quarterback competition to determine who will be starting next season.

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