Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to his typical workload after experiencing arm discomfort earlier in the week.
All eyes are on Watson as he prepares for his third, high-stakes season with the Browns. He’s been working his way back from major shoulder surgery that ended his most recent season in November.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson was “a little sore” during practice on Wednesday, August 22, which led to him taking some of the practice off. The team announced on Thursday that Watson was back to his regular routine.
“After resting during the later portion of practice yesterday, Deshaun resumed throwing and took his normal full complement of reps today with the first team,” the Browns said in their latest injury report on the team’s official site. Thursday’s practice was closed to the media.
Browns Undecided on Deshaun Watson’s Status Against Seahawks
The Browns are preparing to travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks in their preseason finale. The initial plan was for Watson to play but Stefanski has not yet decided if Watson will suit up for what would be his only preseason action.
“So all of our starters should expect to play and then we’ll determine who does or doesn’t, how many plays they do,” Stefanski said on August 20. “Like I told you guys, in particular with Deshaun, I want to take in all the information this week and really make a final determination later in the week.”
Watson said he was initially surprised by the decision to let him play against the Seahawks, but he was game.
“That was the first time I heard that, so I don’t know. But if I’m playing, that’s fine with me,” Watson said on Thursday, August 15. “That’s fine with me.”
The Browns traded a trio of first-round picks to acquire Watson in a 2022 trade and gave him a $230 million fully guaranteed contract. So far, Watson has played in 12 games with mixed results. He’s passed for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.
Deshaun Watson Building Connection With Browns Receivers
The Browns are implementing some wrinkles on offense with Ken Dorsey as the new offensive coordinator and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in the mix. Jeudy arrived via trade in March, but he and Watson had limited time together to build a connection.
“Yeah, it’s coming along,” Watson said of his connection with Jeudy, who has missed some time with a knee injury. “We’ve just got to continue to grow and continue to go. I think with everyone it’s just going to be able to do that. I only played 12 games in the last two years, so the chemistry and the timing, especially with a new system, that’s going to continue to grow and that’s going to continue to go as the reps continue to build up and throughout training camp and throughout the season. So it’s going to be fun to just continue to have that.”
The Browns add Jeudy to a passing attack that includes Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku. If Watson and some other starters miss the preseason tilt against the Seahawks, the first time they’ll take the field together is on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys for Week 1.
