The waiting game continues for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who again missed practice Wednesday because of a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans.
The vibe from the workday inside team headquarters was that there would be more waiting than games in Watson’s immediate future. For the second time this week, he was not on the field for the start of practice.
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When Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked whether Watson would be throwing in the team’s indoor facility, his answer was vague.
“He’ll be rehabbing today,” Stefanski said. “There may be some throwing part of that, but it’s rehab.”
Stefanski said Watson remains “day to day” and has been “working around the clock” to get back. NFL Network reported Tuesday that Watson has a rotator cuff contusion. Before the bye week, Stefanski said there was nothing structurally wrong with Watson’s shoulder and that the quarterback missed the Browns’ Oct. 1 game versus the Baltimore Ravens because he didn’t believe he could drive the ball well enough to play to his capabilities.
“With injuries, you just have to treat each one specifically,” Stefanski said. “And with this one, that’s what we’re doing. So (we’re) just taking information from our medical staff, from Deshaun and making sure that we’re making the right decisions with everything.”
There was one acknowledged development in what’s now become an ongoing saga. Stefanski said the Browns proceeded to their standard workweek following Monday’s post-bye bonus practice with P.J. Walker as their new No. 2 quarterback. That means Walker is in line to be the Browns’ starter Sunday against the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers unless Watson can suddenly return.
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Walker is on the Browns’ practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster and served as the backup against the Ravens when the team ruled out Watson two hours before the game and rookie backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson was overmatched in a 28-3 loss.
Because he just joined the Browns in early September, Walker wasn’t a realistic option in the Ravens game. Thompson-Robinson had been Cleveland’s No. 2 quarterback since late August, and there was a feeling within the building that Watson was going to play despite making only a handful of throws during the practice week. But Thompson-Robinson played, and in the aftermath of that disastrous game, he has been demoted.
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Stefanski and Browns general manager Andrew Berry said during the bye that they were optimistic Watson would return this week. And maybe he still will, but if he’s not back on the practice field Thursday — and nothing Stefanski said Wednesday indicates he will be — we’ll be left to assume Cleveland will turn to Walker, who made seven starts over the past three seasons for the Carolina Panthers.
Watson was not made available to reporters Wednesday, the day he usually addresses the local media. Walker was not in the locker room during the time it was open to reporters.
“We’ll see how the week goes,” Stefanski said. “I’m just really focusing on today.”
How did the Browns get to the point of potentially needing to promote a player from the practice squad to be their starting quarterback?
Watson was injured Sept. 24 in a third-quarter collision with Titans safety Amani Hooker. Watson finished the game and had what was arguably his best performance in a Browns uniform, as he completed 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. When the Browns returned to practice three days after that game, the team said Watson was sitting out to rest his shoulder.
Watson was listed as a limited participant in all three practices leading up to Cleveland’s game versus Baltimore but made only a handful of throws during the week. The Browns had hoped he’d be able to play — and Watson reportedly told teammates he would — but Watson made only a few short throws in an on-field workout the morning of the game before being officially ruled out. Two days later, Berry told reporters the team was “optimistic” that Watson did not have a long-term injury and “overall (felt) really good about his progress.”
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The Browns’ not having a veteran backup immediately on hand for a short-term Watson injury situation was a major mistake, though Berry refused to acknowledge it last week. Thompson-Robinson had a strong preseason, and the Browns traded Joshua Dobbs and a seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a fifth-rounder three days before Cleveland’s preseason finale.
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The team had originally planned to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, in hopes that Thompson-Robinson could eventually become the long-term backup. With Watson set to carry salary-cap numbers of almost $64 million from 2024 through 2026, finances played a part in that planning. The Browns brought Dobbs back on a one-year, $2 million deal — a bargain by veteran quarterback standards — and have Thompson-Robinson on an inexpensive rookie contract through 2026. In trading Dobbs, the Browns saved $1.5 million that they can roll over to next season’s cap, but just a month later, they needed Thompson-Robinson to play. He threw three interceptions and could easily have thrown double that amount, and the Browns’ only points came after a pass interference call.
That’s not even to begin to say Dobbs would have beaten the Ravens, especially on short notice. But everything about that Browns performance stunk — on multiple levels — after Thompson-Robinson practiced with the starters all week, and Stefanski acknowledged he went into the game believing Watson would play. This week, Thompson-Robinson said he didn’t find out until the morning of the game that he was going to start versus Baltimore. The game plan was awful and did little to protect a rookie quarterback from finding himself in uncomfortable, and in some ways impossible, situations as the Browns fell behind 21-3 before halftime.
The Browns again are going through a standard practice week with at least external uncertainty about Watson’s status. Wednesday, Stefanski kept repeating he’s “not thinking past today.” The shift in the quarterback order marks a pretty significant change, though. Preparations must go on. The plan must be better than it was last time, even if the Browns think Watson is going to be healthy enough to return to practice and potentially play Sunday.
“I think with a veteran like (Walker), he’s played in some games, he’s won some games,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, P.J. is not 40, but he’s played in some games. He’s been around a little bit. He’s played in different systems. So he’s getting comfortable with what we do here. He’s got a great demeanor, great way about him. He fits in well with the team. But, really, just if P.J. does end up playing, you’re just looking for him to be the best version of himself.
“He’s a talented player. I think a lot of our coaches remember when P.J. was coming out of Temple. A very athletic player, strong arm, can throw it to all areas of the field, very intelligent. So, he’s fit in well with us.”
Suddenly, Walker has gone from being the new guy in the meeting room to potentially the guy at the head of everything — without even being on the active roster. The Browns have until Saturday afternoon to promote him. Cleveland isn’t worried about another team trying to sign him this week. Walker is busy preparing for his next chance after he was cut by the Chicago Bears in late August.
A still-young season that was all about Watson and his ability to take this offense to the next level is now in an awkward phase of waiting and uncertainty. The Bears cut Walker despite owing him $2 million in guaranteed money. The Browns don’t trust Thompson-Robinson despite making a move that indicated they absolutely did. Based on the last game, they absolutely shouldn’t.
What does the weekend bring? What will Thursday bring? We don’t know, but we do know the 49ers defense is coming to town. And in preparation, the Browns are stuck taking things one practice snap at a time.
(Top photo of P.J. Walker and Deshaun Watson: Jason Miller / Getty Images)