Overview

• The PUP designation bars Watson from practicing or playing for at least the first four games and then triggers the standard practice and activation windows under NFL rules.
• Team officials say he is expected to miss a majority, if not all, of 2025 after an Achilles tear last October and a re-rupture during the offseason.
• Joe Flacco has been named the Week 1 starter, and the roster includes Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for potential in-season evaluations.
• Watson joined Cleveland in 2022 in a major trade and signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract that runs through 2026.
• Owner Jimmy Haslam has described the Watson trade as a "big swing-and-miss," highlighting ongoing uncertainty about the quarterback plan.