The Cleveland Browns will be without Deshaun Watson on Sunday but do not expect their franchise QB to be sidelined too much longer.
Watson is dealing with a rotator cuff strain and will miss his fourth game on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. He attempted to play last week but did not look like himself and exited after taking a hard hit in the first quarter.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was not comfortable putting Watson back out on the field. Watson was 1-of-5 for 5 yards and an interception up to that point.
“I’m always going to be protective of my players, especially at the quarterback position,” Stefanski said. “Just felt like the right thing in that moment was to hold him out of that game.”
Watson has spent the week rehabbing his shoulder and the Browns made the call early in the middle of the week that he’d sit out the Seahawks matchup. There’s a hope Watson will be back next week. If not, it should not extend more than two weeks, per ESPN Adam Schefter.
“Browns’ QB Deshaun Watson will continue to be week to week with his rotator cuff injury, but it is not expected to be a long-term absence that would necessitate him being placed on injured reserve, which automatically would sideline him four weeks, per sources,” Schefter tweeted on Sunday, October 29. “While the Browns will continue to be cautious with him, it is, in the words of one source, ‘unlikely that it’s longer than two weeks.’”
Deshaun Watson Says He’s Committed to Browns
The Watson injury saga has been a strange one that started more than a month ago. It was first dubbed a shoulder contusion and the Browns said he was medically cleared to play. That started some discussion on Watson’s desire to get on the field, with his $230 million fully guaranteed contract in focus.
Watson spoke to the media this week despite being ruled out and made his stance clear.
“Why wouldn’t I want to play? I just worked my a** off for two years to get back to playing. So why wouldn’t I want to play?” Watson said. “We’re working hard to get that back. But, yeah, why wouldn’t I want to play? I don’t do this for no other reason. I see the whole contract situation and all that stuff. Yeah, that stuff is just for people to talk, and it’s create narratives.”
The Browns have gone 3-1 with Watson starting this season. He’s completing 61.7% of his passes and has 683 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Browns Could Look for Veteran Backup QB at Trade Deadline
PJ Walker will draw the start against the Seahawks. It will be his second start, although he played most of the Week 7 matchup against the Colts when Watson was sidelined. Walker has been able to lead the Browns to a pair of wins but hasn’t been able to generate much offense.
Walker has completed his passes at a 50% clip with the Browns this season, passing for 370 yards and 3 interceptions.
The Browns could use the trade deadline to explore their options to add a veteran quarterback, like Jacoby Brissett or Kirk Cousins. It would defend the team against a situation where Watson’s shoulder flares up again and he misses time.
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