Browns Officially Announce Deshaun Watson's Week 8 Availability
By Tyler Maher
Browns fans have been wondering who their starting quarterback will be in Week 8. Deshaun Watson has been dealing with a shoulder injury for several weeks now and had his return cut short in Week 7, exiting after only 5 pass attempts.
With Watson's status up in the air to start the week, Cleveland revealed on Wednesday who its starting quarterback will be in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.
"I just feel like with what happened in the game, landing on his shoulder, there's residual swelling that's affecting his throwing -- I think it's the best thing for (Deshaun Watson) to rest this week and focus on the rehab." https://t.co/VzR1Q8feV4
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2023
Deshaun Watson Injury Update
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed during Wednesday's media session that Watson will not start on Sunday as originally hoped. Instead, P.J. Walker will start in his absence.
Stefanski explained the decision that Watson is still dealing with some swelling in his right shoulder after landing on it during last weekend's wild 39-38 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Given that the season still isn't even half over yet, Stefanski said he believes it's best for Watson to rest this week rather than risk re-aggravating his injury.
This is certainly disappointing news for Cleveland fans, who have been closely following Watson's injury drama for nearly a month now. He was ruled out right before Week 4 and still didn't suit up in Week 6 after the Week 5 bye. He finally returned in Week 7, only to immediately come out of the game.
This is not what the Browns were hoping for from their $230 million quarterback, who suddenly can't seem to stay healthy.
The writing was already on the wall this week, though, after Cleveland signed Walker to the active roster earler on Wednesday. Walker started in Watson's place in Week 6 and relieved him during Week 7, leading the Browns to wins in both games. His performance has been relatively mediocre, however, as he's put up 370 passing yards on a 50% completion rate with no touchdowns and 3 interceptions so far.
Time will tell if Watson will be able to return in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. But based on how the last few weeks have gone, Cleveland fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
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