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Cleveland Browns dealt another season-ending injury with a former draft pick now lost for the year before Week 1

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 3:26 PM ET

The injury bug bit the Cleveland Browns hard in training camp a couple of weeks ago when they lost cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. for the season.

Injuries have been difficult for the Browns to overcome the last few years, and unfortunately, they appear to be just starting again this season.

On Thursday, more bad news hit: the Browns have lost another defender for the year.

Cleveland Browns place LB Nathaniel Watson on injured reserve

Cleveland will be without second-year linebacker Nathaniel Watson for the entire 2025 season after he suffered a torn biceps. Watson recorded 14 tackles in 14 games last season after being selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State.

#Browns LB Nathaniel Watson has suffered a torn biceps and has been placed on IR.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 21, 2025

Watson was putting together a strong camp and was firmly in the two-deep as a key rotational linebacker. There was even a chance he could beat out veteran Devin Bush for the starting SAM linebacker role. Now, it appears Bush will be tasked with holding that spot.

This marks the second linebacker Cleveland has lost for the season since Pro Bowler Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is already sidelined due to the neck injury he suffered last year.

Winston Reid now looks like a strong candidate to make the roster alongside expected starters Carson Schwesinger, Mohamoud Diabate, and Bush. The Browns also signed linebacker Charlie Thomas, who was with the team last year as an undrafted free agent.

It’s a tough break for the 24-year-old Watson, who was poised to leave his mark in Cleveland this season. Instead, his NFL career will be on hold until 2026.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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