Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is officially listed as questionable for their Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens. But Watson issued a statement about his status for the game on Friday.
It sounds like he going to give it a go.
Watson is battling through a shoulder that has caused him to be a limited participant in practice this week.
Fans quickly became concerned about his status after Watson threw only a few passes at practice on Friday before stopping and talking to the Browns trainer.
We saw Watson throw one pass then he walked over to the trainer at the start of practice. Have to guess DTR is getting prepped to play.
We will hear from Stefanski in an hour.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 29, 2023
This obviously isn’t a great sign heading into Sunday’s game, and many are now assuming that backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be called into action for his first NFL start.
However, Watson spoke about his availability for the game and appears to be confident that he will be able to play. He spoke to the media briefly after Friday’s practice, and told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he is “okay” and that he will play.
It’s reassuring that Watson is confident that he will be able to suit up in this Week 4 game. But fans aren’t exactly sold that this injury won’t limit him in a big way for this matchup against the Ravens.
Yeah throwing shoulder injuries historically go really well for QBs
— Jackie Daytona (@JewniorGong) September 29, 2023
Deshaun Watson Expects to Play vs. BAL: Browns QB says 'I'm OK and I'll play' despite being listed as questionable with shoulder injury
— FootBasket™.com (@FootBasket) September 29, 2023
https://twitter.com/ccjsgc/status/1707827485499433275
baker flashbacks hitting like crack right now
— BROWNS 2024 🧡 (@4Deshaun) September 29, 2023
As Browns fans alluded to, the organization has some extremely bad history with playing injured quarterbacks. Cleveland notably had former quarterback Baker Mayfield play through a partially torn labrum in the 2021 season, and his play on the field suffered because of that decision.
While it doesn’t look like Watson’s injury is quite that bad, it may be wise to let Watson rest through this injury so that he is 100 percent the next time he takes the field.
