Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson left Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals with an Achilles tendon injury.

Watson planted his right leg as he began to scramble in the first half and immediately collapsed to the turf in pain.

Coaches tended to Watson on the field while backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson warmed up. Watson eventually left the field on a cart.

As he was carried off the field, Watson covered his face with a towel in tears.

Thompson-Robinson took over at quarterback. The Browns ultimately ruled out Watson with an Achilles tendon injury.

Watson, 29, is in his third season as the Browns' starting quarterback after joining Cleveland via trade from the Houston Texans in 2022.

Watson made the Pro Bowl in three of his four seasons in Houston after being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by Clemson. The Texans benched Watson in 2021 after more than 20 women accused him in a civil lawsuit of separate cases of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

A grand jury in Houston declined to criminally indict Watson. Watson eventually settled the lawsuits in confidential agreements.

Despite all the allegations, the Browns signed Watson to a historic contract

Watson sat out the entire 2021 season amid the allegations as the Texans moved on from their once-promising quarterback. In March 2022, Cleveland traded for Watson after he agreed to waive a no-trade clause in his contract.

Despite the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct and the fact that Watson missed an entire football season, the Browns signed Watson to a historic five-year, $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed. The guarantee was the largest in NFL history. A Browns franchise that had long struggled for the most important position in football made the deal with the belief that Watson was the missing piece on a roster built differently on both sides of the ball to compete for a championship .

In August 2022, the NFL suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 season as a result of its investigation into allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The league also fined Watson $5 million, the largest fine ever imposed on a player in league history. Watson wasn't eligible to play until Week 12 of his first season in Cleveland.

Watson's struggles in Cleveland

Watson struggled in his first season in Cleveland, completing 58.2 of his passes for 183.7 yards per game with seven touchdowns and five interceptions in six games.

Watson was limited to six games in 2023 after undergoing surgery for a broken shoulder in November. Watson again struggled in the games he played in, completing 61.4% of his passes for 185.8 yards per game with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Watson was worse in 2024. In six games prior to Sunday, Watson completed 61.3% of his passes for 170 yards per game with five touchdowns and three interceptions. His quarterback rating of 76.6 would be the worst of his career in a season.

With Watson at quarterback, Cleveland ranked last in the NFL with 240.2 yards of offense per game through six weeks. A Browns team with postseason aspirations that reached the playoffs last season with Joe Flacco at quarterback got off to a league-worst 1-5 start.

New accusation this season

In September, Watson faced a new sexual assault lawsuit from a woman who accused him of assaulting her while she was staying at her apartment. The case dates back to 2020. That case was settled through a confidential agreement in October.

The Browns addressed the recent allegations in a statement released by a spokesperson in September.

“We will respect the due process provided by our legal system regarding the recently filed civil lawsuit and follow the NFL’s policies on this matter.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said at the time that the league was investigating the matter under its personal conduct policy. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the case was still under review.