Overview

• Cleveland placed Watson on the reserve/PUP list on Aug. 26 due to his Achilles injury, ruling him out for at least the first four games.
• Under NFL rules, a five-week practice window can open after those four games, followed by 21 days to activate him or keep him on PUP for the year.
• Joe Flacco has been named the Week 1 starter, and both Gabriel and Sanders made the initial 53-man roster.
• Watson tore his Achilles on Oct. 20 and re-ruptured it during offseason rehab, and the team says he is expected to miss most or all of the 2025 season.
• Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million deal and owner Jimmy Haslam’s “big swing-and-miss” assessment underscore complex choices, with Pro Football Talk analyzing a potential preference to keep him on PUP for insurance and cap reasons if he is cleared.