Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson revealed he won’t practice on Wednesday and doesn’t yet know if he’ll be able to play at the 3-3 Indianapolis Colts Sunday.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Watson also acknowledged that he may not be 100% again this season because of his strained right rotator cuff that reportedly could sideline him for at least an additional two games.
“This is my first time dealing with a rotator cuff, so I’m just trying to get as comfortable as I possibly can to go out there and perform at the level I know I can,” Watson explained. “And if I can’t, then we just got to continue to take it day-to-day. I’m not going to put the team in jeopardy if I can’t do certain things that are going to allow us to be handicapped in certain situations. So, that’s the reason why I haven’t been able to step on the field.”
Watson suffered the initial injury in the win over the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 24 and was inactive for Cleveland’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 1. Coming off a bye week, Watson sat and watched as backup PJ Walker guided the Browns to a surprising 19-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday.
Walker completed 18-of-34 pass attempts for 192 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions against San Francisco and will start for the 3-2 Browns at Indianapolis if Watson can’t go.
Watson did say team doctors “haven’t mentioned” that he’d risk further injury by playing through the issue, but it sounds like the 28-year-old won’t rush back before he feels he’s ready to give the Browns his best.
“I don’t want to get out there and be hesitant throwing the ball or anything like that,” Watson said. “So, I’m not going to put myself first in this situation. I’m going to put the team first. And the best situation right now is P.J. going out there and performing like he did Sunday to help this team win.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Browns as 2.5-point favorites to beat the Colts this weekend. Some may feel that suggests sportsbooks believe Watson will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
