The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of creating headlines for the NFL offseason, but the rest of the league is trying to improve simultaneously. At the same time that the Steelers are trying to win the offseason, their AFC North rivals are making their own headlines.
Every game between the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns is appointment viewing. Heated foes that bring out the nastiest and best in one another, the 2025 season was already charged with the potential of former Steelers’ draft pick Kenny Pickett starting for Cleveland.
According to Browns’ beat writer Mark Kay Cabot, there’s a chance the organization’s $200 million quarterback could return to games in the upcoming season. In a recent article for Cleveland.com, Cabot provided the latest update on maligned Cleveland star Deshaun Watson.
“One league source said Watson, who was suspended 11 games by the NFL in 2022 after accusations by more than two dozen therapists of sexual misconduct, could be ready to practice sometime in October,” she wrote. “But it remains to be seen if the Browns would open the window that soon, roughly nine months post-op.”
The possibility of the Steelers facing their rival quarterback again this season has to be a tantalizing thought for their defense. In three career meetings against the Pittsburgh defense, Watson’s struggled. He’s 0-3 against the Steelers in his career and has been sacked an absurd 18 times in those three contests. Staying upright is a struggle for Watson against the Steelers, and they will be salivating to get another chance to rush the passer.
The big question will be Watson’s health. He underwent surgery in January of 2025, meaning his potential return in October would come less than 10 months after repairing his Achilles tendon tear.
If Watson can’t return, the Browns will run with either Pickett, Joe Flacco, or rookies Dillon Gabriel or Shadeur Sanders. The quarterback situation is less than favorable in Cleveland, but Cabot’s update on Watson’s progression is an encouraging sign for the Steelers’ rival.
