Going to battle against the Seattle Seahawks in just two short days, the Cleveland Browns will once again do so without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. Opting to use this week as an opportunity to rehab his throwing shoulder, the Browns will start P.J. Walker for the second time in three weeks after he took over in the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.
Understanding the frustration from the fanbase, local media, and more, Watson made himself available for media availability in the locker room on Thursday to discuss the injury, the updated timeframe for recovery, and more. While there is no timeframe for recovery still, it became wildly apparent that Watson wants to get back on the field as soon as he feels like he can once again be an asset to the 4-2 Browns.
Here, we dive into four of the biggest takeaways from that media availability as the Cleveland starting quarterback did not shy away from taking questions.
Watson's timeline remains murky; not sure if playing Sunday set back his recovery
Neither the Browns nor Watson know what his timeline will be, even four weeks into the process. Watson has stated until everybody feels good about where he is at, then they will take it a day at a time.
“I mean, the four-to-six-time range, I think that’s a generic timeline for just the normal just rotator cuff. And I think I’m saying that because that’s what the research says. That’s what doctors typically say for pitchers and baseball guys and all the research that we’ve did. But it can be longer. I don’t know. We just don’t know. Until the staff, the medical staff, ill the coaching staff, till myself feel very comfortable that I can go out there and be the quarterback people saw against Tennessee. Then we just got to take it day by day.”
Speculating based on the Browns’ schedule, but they have another week before they hit a stretch of back-to-back games against AFC North opponents. The likely outcome is that he sits against the Arizona Cardinals next week as well to get as close to full health as possible before that span.
He wants to play.
Watson has come under fire from the national audience, namely former Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, as they have speculated that perhaps he has no incentive to get back on the field. With all of his money already guaranteed, the talking points are flying off the wall. The starting quarterback pushed back against that vehemently:
“Why wouldn’t I want to play? I just worked my ass off for two years to get back to playing. So why wouldn’t I want to play? This is what I’ve been doing since I was six years old. So why wouldn’t I want to play? I see the same things. I see all the narratives. This, that, the third. I mean, all that stuff is just trying to cause controversy and commotion. I’m fine. I’m happy. I’m not happy with the injury, but I’m in a great space mentally. I’m in a great space spiritually. Physically, everything else is in a great space except my shoulder. So 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, so yeah, I see that, too. I see the whole contract situation and all that stuff. Yeah, that stuff is just for people to talk, and it’s create narratives.”
He was even asked about discord with the Browns specifically, and Watson again pushed back. Watson sounds just as frustrated with the injury as the rest of the fanbase is.
No talk of surgery needed
“No, sir.”
Asked about surgery or if that has been suggested, Watson gave the short, two-word answer. Surgery is not on the table as the Browns starter looks to fight through the injury. Watson pointed out that nobody in the NFL is at 100 percent by November, December, or January, so he is just fighting to get to a spot where he feels like he can once again be a benefit to the team as he was against the Titans.
No internal disconnect on rehab or recovery process between Watson and the Browns
Despite the outcry and public perception around the injury from the fanbase and national audience, the quarterback has stated he and the team are on the same page. As for the outside noise? It does not seem like those in the building care about it:
“We all just came together, and there’s no negative vibes or negative energy with this team, with this locker room or anything. We’re 4-2. This energy in this locker room and this team and the coaching staff and front office. We’re in a great space. We enjoy our victories. We don’t care how we get them, as long as we get those W’s. And we keep it pushing, we keep it going. So it’s always the next man up and all the other stuff, outside noise, we don’t pay attention to.”
Could it have been handled better from a PR perspective from the Browns? Most certainly. However, this regime has kept everything close to the vest, and it seems like they will continue to do so.
