Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns is experiencing general arm soreness, a situation that may impact his potential preseason debut. Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski decided to halt Watson from throwing during Wednesday’s practice due to the soreness, but Stefanski expressed that he is not overly worried about it. Watson had undergone surgery in November for a fractured socket bone in his throwing shoulder which cut his second season with Cleveland short after just six starts. Although Watson has participated in most training camp activities, he did not play in the first two preseason games.
Stefanski has not finalized whether Watson will play and for how long in Saturday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. The coach mentioned that Watson had encountered soreness earlier in camp, stating, “You’re a quarterback, you’re throwing a lot, so you get sore.” Meanwhile, Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. was transported to a hospital by ambulance after sustaining a rib injury during practice, but he has since been discharged.
While Watson was inactive, backup quarterback Jameis Winston took over with the starting offense during practice. Stefanski reassured that Watson could have continued but was held back as a precaution. Watson, now 28, has been steadily recovering from his surgery, with the team’s medical staff closely monitoring his workload throughout camp.
Certain drills involve Watson mimicking a throwing motion rather than actually throwing the ball. Initially planning for Watson to play against the Seahawks, Stefanski recently mentioned that he has not yet decided on the playing time for Watson and other starters, considering the challenges posed by injuries to offensive tackles. Additionally, Strong’s injury might impact the Browns’ running back depth as Nick Chubb and Nyheim Hines are still out after knee surgeries.
In a separate injury incident, running back D’Onta Foreman suffered a neck injury early in camp, prompting a hospital evaluation, though he has since returned to practice and scored a touchdown in last week’s game against Minnesota. Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward remains in the concussion protocol after an injury during practice on August 12, marking his fifth documented concussion since joining the league in 2018. Ward has been present but not participating in the last few practices.
