The Cleveland Browns quarterback situation made headlines Friday.
Deshaun Watson, who had been limited in practice all week with a shoulder injury he suffered in the team’s 27-3 win over the Titans, was not much of an active participant on Friday. According to multiple reports, Watson threw a couple passes and then stopped, before stopping and talking to Cleveland’s head athletic trainer.
Waston also reportedly took mental reps, as backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson received all of the first-team reps during the team’s red zone drills. That was during the open portion of practice to the media, and head coach Kevin Stefanski later said that Watson participated in light throwing after the media was no longer able to watch practice.
#Browns Deshaun Watson took some mental reps while watching rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson take all the first team reps in a red zone drill pic.twitter.com/c1xywt4Gnt
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 29, 2023
Stefanski, playing his cards close to his chest, is “hopeful” that Waston will be able to play on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
He also didn’t reveal much, pointing to the injury report when asked for more specifics about Watson’s injury.
The NFL world was quick to react to the concerning Browns’ quarterback news.
https://twitter.com/madden_tron/status/1707785358593683523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1707785358593683523%7Ctwgr%5E131dbb519ca7398aed7dbe24346a56a766c55811%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fmadden_tron2Fstatus2F1707785358593683523widget%3DTweet
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I mean the backup doesn’t take 100% of reps on a Friday without having a good prob of starting. It’s Friday not Wednesday https://t.co/WMM22mxkzC
— Clevta (@Clevta) September 29, 2023
Watson is coming off his best performance of the season in the Browns’ 27-3 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. Watson, who has gotten off to a less-than-stellar start in Cleveland, completed 27-of-33 passes (81.8 percent) for 289 yards with two passing touchdowns. He added four rushes for 16 yards, but one of those attempts is why he’ll be listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game.
If Watson is unable to go, Thompson-Robinson will assume the starting role. While Stefanski is “hopeful” that Watson will play, the backup quarterback taking the majority of snaps in practice on Friday is not a great sign for Sunday’s game.