Even before Sunday, the 2024 NFL season had been defined by quarterback injuries. Rookie J.J. McCarthy was lost for the year before the regular season began, Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion that sidelined him, and second-year starters Jordan Love and Anthony Richardson have missed multiple games due to ailments.
Then there’s Russell Wilson, back from an injury to make his season debut in Week 7, as well as Will Levis and Derek Carr, who both missed last week’s games due to being sidelined. However, Sunday took things to another level with three major injuries to quarterbacks who were previously considered the healthy ones left standing. The most notable occurred to Deshaun Watson, who tore his Achilles tendon in a noncontact injury in the Cleveland Browns’ 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, ending Watson’s season after seven games.
Watson has been a lightning rod for criticism, due to the dozens of sexual assault allegations that have been levied against him, and also his play on the field. A three-time Pro Bowler in his last three seasons with the Houston Texans, Watson in Cleveland has been a shell of his former self. Through the first seven weeks of this season, Watson has the worst QBR, averages the lowest yards per completion, and has been sacked the most times.
Yet even with that, Watson’s play in Sunday’s game before getting hurt spurred some optimism that perhaps it was the start of a turnaround. He had completed 15 of 17 passes, with his 88.24 completion percentage being not just his highest of the season, or his best in his three-year Browns tenure, but the highest of any game in Watson’s pro career. What could have been Watson’s best game in a Cleveland uniform will now be remembered for how it ended for him, with tears coming down his face while he was carted to the locker room.
This is the fourth season-ending injury for Watson in his 11 seasons in college and the NFL combined. He tore his left ACL in 2014 while at Clemson, then tore his right ACL in 2017 while with Houston. Last year, Watson broke a bone in his throwing shoulder, which prematurely ended his year, and he now faces a lengthy rehab from a torn Achilles. Due to various injuries, and a suspension, Watson will have played in just 19 of 68 regular-season games from the 2021 through 2024 seasons.
While just last year, Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins suffered torn Achilles tendons and returned to play this season, Watson will prove to be an interesting case study for this type of injury. It’s rare for quarterbacks to suffer it, and previously, Dan Marino and Vinny Testaverde also suffered Achilles tears. However, Rodgers, Cousins, Marino and Testaverde were, on average, aged nearly 36 when their injuries occurred, and none were mobile quarterbacks at the time of the injury. Watson is just 29 and uses his legs as a weapon, which could be compromised when he returns.
Elsewhere on Sunday, reigning Heisman winner and Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels suffered a rib injury on the first possession of the Washington Commanders’ 40-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Daniels broke free for a 46-yard rushing gain on Washington’s first play but apparently was injured during the tackle. He stayed in for the rest of the series but clearly didn’t look right and clutched his side after being tackled later on a rushing attempt.
Following additional testing on Monday, Quinn labeled Daniels’ rib injury as week-to-week and said the team is hopeful he can suit up next Sunday as Washington hosts the only man drafted ahead of Daniels, Caleb Williams, and the Chicago Bears.
A third noteworthy quarterback injury occurred in the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-15 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Aidan O’Connell, who was making just his second start of the season for the Raiders, fractured his thumb during the follow-through of a pass attempt when his hand collided with the hand of defensive back Kamren Curl. Adding insult to the injury was the fact that O’Connell was called for intentional grounding on the play. The quarterback stayed in for one more play before being replaced by the man he just replaced last week in veteran Gardner Minshew.
O’Connell’s recovery timeline falls between the short-term one for Daniels and the long-term one for Watson. He’s slated to go on injured reserve and is expected to miss four to six weeks as the latest quarterback casualty.
In the 2020 NFL season, 13 teams had a single starter at quarterback all season. That number dropped to 11 in 2021 and then 10 in the 2022 season. Last year, it dropped again to just nine QBs who started every game. Based on what occurred Sunday, the trend shows no sign of stopping.
