Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson made his first appearance in any type of game since rupturing his Achilles tendon during the 2024 season when he started Saturday’s game against the Bears. Watson played the entire first half and was 11 of 15 for 126 yards and the Browns scored 10 points while he was in the game. Watson also ran three times, including a sneak, but lost a fumble and the offense had a delay of game and a timeout with time running out. After the game, head coach Todd Monken acknowledged in a press conference that “there’s a lot to clean up,” including two more turnovers, but had a mostly positive reaction to Watson’s return to the lineup. “It was amazing,” Monken said. “It was great to see him play. I understand all the frustration: the fans, himself. But for him to come back and work like he did is an incredible credit to him. And then to go out there, he was having fun today and that’s great. I thought he really worked at a high level. We don’t want to take timeouts, we sure can’t handle delays in games. But it was fun to watch him play and see us take the next step forward and see where we are. “Shedeur Sanders was responsible for one of the other turnovers with a interception, but Monken said the plan to start him in the team’s next preseason game remains in place. A decision could be made at that point about Week 1 and Watson had his best chance to make his case on Saturday.
