Browns QB Deshaun Watson is carted off the field with a right Achilles tendon injury

CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson's unsuccessful and disappointing stay with Cleveland has taken another significant turn.

The embattled quarterback was carted off the field Sunday with a right Achilles tendon injury he suffered on a noncontact play against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Watson, who has not lived up to expectations in his two-plus seasons with Cleveland, went down without being touched on a second down play with 1:26 left in the first half.

Watson dropped back to pass at the Cincinnati 21-yard line. When he planted, his right leg buckled and he dropped to the ground.

Watson immediately put his hands to his head as he lay on the field in obvious pain. Cleveland's training staff rushed out to assist him and were soon joined by all of the Browns as well as the Bengals, who came over from their sideline to surround Watson and offer their support.

As he was driven off, Watson, whose arrival in Cleveland split the fan base, pulled a towel over his head as fans applauded.

Shortly after halftime, the Browns said Watson had injured his Achilles tendon and that he wouldn't return.

Based on his reaction, Watson may not be back again this season.

Cleveland signed Watson to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract in 2022. He was suspended 11 games by the NFL in his first year with Cleveland, and his second season was cut short after just six starts because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Watson has played poorly this season, leading to calls for coach Kevin Stefanski to bench him. He was booed during pregame introductions.

Before getting hurt, Watson was 15 of 17 for 128 yards. He was sacked twice. Second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced him. Thompson-Robinson was Watson's backup for the first time this season ahead of Jameis Winston.

The Browns mortgaged their short-term future to get Watson, sending three first-round draft picks to Houston for the three-time Pro Bowler. The 28-year-old has made far more headlines off the field than on it.

He was accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than two dozen women for inappropriate behavior during massage therapy sessions in Texas. Watson settled numerous civil lawsuits brought against him.

The league is still investigating a recent allegation against Watson brought by a woman who accused him of sexual assault. Watson recently reached a confidential settlement to close that case.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) passes in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) reacts after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”

He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.

“Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones,” Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."

Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shootings by an Army psychiatrist at Texas’ Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.

Hegseth cited some of the events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” Hegseth said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”

Defense Department policy has prohibited military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, with strict protocol for how the firearms must be stored.

Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, then check all firearms back in promptly after their sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.

Tanya Schardt, senior counsel at the Brady gun violence prevention organization, said in a statement that Defense Department leaders and the military’s top brass have opposed relaxing the current policy, which was originally enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

“Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones,’” Schardt said. “If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)