Browns' Deshaun Watson: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Watson scored 15.4 Fantasy points in Week 2 at Jacksonville, and so far that's his best performance through two games. The only reason to consider Watson this week is his matchup against the Giants, and hopefully, Watson can top 20 Fantasy points at home. He's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Manages Browns to victory
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Watson completed 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 18-13 win over the Jaguars. He added five rushes for 20 yards and a touchdown.
It was still far from a prolific performance, but Watson improved significantly compared to his dismal Week 1 showing. He avoided turnovers and showed the ability to distribute the ball down the field as he had three completions of at least 20 yards -- two of which went to Jerry Jeudy. Watson also accounted for the team's only touchdown with a one-yard run late in the first quarter. Overall, he was able to execute the offense fairly effectively, though it didn't lead to much fantasy success for himself or his skill-position players.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Will start Sunday
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson will start Sunday's game at Jacksonville, NFL.com reports.
Stefanski directed reporters to the team's official statement from Tuesday, in which the Browns said they will "respect the due process our legal system affords" after a civil lawsuit filed Monday accused Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020. Watson isn't expected to go on the commissioner's exempt list for now, with NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy announcing Tuesday that the league will "look into the matter under the personal conduct policy." The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million in 2022, after at least two dozen women made allegations similar to those in the lawsuit filed Monday. He has since reached confidential settlements for 23 of the 24 civil suits.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Facing civil lawsuit
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The NFL is not expected to place Watson on the commissioner's exempt list after a civil lawsuit was filed Monday accusing him of sexual assault and battery in October 2020, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports. "We are reviewing the complaint, and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy. Not looking at commissioner's exempt list as there's been no formal charges and the league's review has just begun," league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Tuesday.
Watson previously served an 11-game suspension, paid a $5 million fine and was ordered to undergo mandatory evaluation by behavioral experts and follow their suggested treatment program in 2022, after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. The lawsuit filed Monday represents a new complaint that the league will investigate and is one of two pending lawsuits filed against Watson, who had previously settled 23 of the 24 civil suits related to accusations of sexual misconduct.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Ugly Week 1 showing
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Watson completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. He added five rushes for 39 yards.
Watson was unable to move the Cleveland offense at any meaningful point in the game and averaged a disastrous 3.8 yards per attempt. Particularly troublesome was Watson's inability to distribute the ball effectively to his top pass catchers, as he was just 2-for-9 when targeting Amari Cooper and 3-for-8 when looking toward Jerry Jeudy. Dallas projects to be an above-average defense this season, but it will be difficult to trust any Browns' skill-position player regularly until Watson shows the ability to improve his level of play.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: QBs to Sit
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Trevon Diggs (knee) is back for the Cowboys defense, but DaRon Bland (foot) is out. We'll see how the Dallas defense also looks without coordinator Dan Quinn, but I'm still not ready to trust Watson this week. He missed time in training camp with shoulder soreness, and that's not encouraging coming off the shoulder injury that ended his season in 2023. The Cowboys were No. 10 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks last year, and I would only start Watson in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues this week.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Hopefully his shoulder is OK all season, and we'd love for him to get back to running the ball at a high level. In 2023, Watson appeared in six games, and he scored at least 22.6 Fantasy points in three of them. If he stays healthy he still has the potential to be a starter in all leagues.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Restructure clears up cap space
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The Browns restructured Watson's contract Thursday by converting $44.8 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $35.8 million in cap space, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports
Watson's restructure could be positioning Cleveland for impending roster moves, as the team now has a NFL-leading $62 million in available salary cap space. Meanwhile, Watson still carries a tremendous $72.9 million salary cap hit for the Browns in both 2025 and 2026. Now heading into his age-29 season, Watson is coming off a quiet preseason in which he was held out of exhibition action and received regular rest days while working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. The team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cowboys will represent Watson's first game action since last November.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Limited due to soreness
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson (arm) was limited in practice due to "general arm soreness," Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Stefanski added that he hasn't yet made a decision on Watson's status for Saturday's preseason finale against the Seahawks, though Kelsey Russo of the team's official site reports that the coach said earlier this week that starters "should expect to play." Per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, Jameis Winston handled all the first-team reps at practice Wednesday with Watson being held out. Stefanski mentioned that he's "not overly concerned" about Watson's health.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Won't play in second preseason game
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Watson isn't expected to play Saturday versus Minnesota in Cleveland's second preseason contest, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Watson sat out the Browns' preseason opener against Green Bay and won't suit up for the second exhibition contest either. However, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports that the quarterback has been cleared for full contact and will get most of the reps in joint practices with the Vikings this week. It remains to be seen if Watson will participate in Cleveland's third and final preseason game Saturday, Aug. 24 against Seattle.
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that he was unsure whether Watson (shoulder) would appear in any of the Browns' three preseason games, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports.
Watson, who had offseason shoulder surgery, has been throwing in camp, but the coach is being extra cautious at this stage. Stefanski said the coaching staff will discuss the quarterback's progress and make any playing decisions at the appropriate time.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Throwing daily without setbacks
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Watson (shoulder) said Wednesday he's been throwing daily, including with teammate Amari Cooper, as part of his rehab process, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Watson declined to say whether he's been fully cleared for training camp, but it's encouraging to hear that he's been able to move through his rehab program without setbacks. He missed all but six games in 2023 and underwent surgery last November to repair a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder. The outlook of Cleveland's passing attack for 2024 depends not only on Watson's health, but also the presence of Cooper, who is negotiating a new contract. Cooper skipped mandatory minicamp in June, and at this point, his full attendance at camp isn't a total guarantee, so it's a positive that he and Watson are already working on developing more of a rapport.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Continues to progress
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Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson is throwing every other day as the quarterback continues his rehab from a season-ending shoulder injury, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Per Oyefusi, Watson threw passes during Tuesday's session but didn't do so Wednesday, though he did participate in individual and team drills. In regard to how Watson has looked during OTAs, Stefanski noted that the quarterback "looked like himself." Watson underwent surgery last November to repair a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, so the Browns are proceeding deliberately with their top signal-caller in anticipation of him being ready for Week 1. With Watson not throwing Wednesday, Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley took the bulk of the reps in team drills.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Throwing full speed
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Watson (shoulder) said Tuesday he's already resumed "throwing full speed" but that he's uncertain how large a workload he'll handle during OTAs and minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Watson clarified that certain members of the Browns' medical staff are in favor of a more conservative approach to the quarterback's recovery from right shoulder surgery, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, which would have him wait until training camp to fully practice. Still, Watson is confident he'll be available for the Browns' season opener, and there appears to be no real worries about his Week 1 status. In case Watson misses part of the offseason, or struggles during the fall, Cleveland can lean on experienced backups Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Confident in Week 1 availability
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Watson, who is bouncing back from shoulder surgery he underwent Nov. 21, noted Thursday he has no doubt that he'll be ready for the Browns' season opener, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Per Cabot, Watson resumed throwing as of March 19, with the quarterback acknowledging that his recovery process is "day to day" and that he plans to "to take it one step at a time." In the coming months, part of that process will involve load management, with Watson expressing confidence that he'll be ready and in top form in advance of Week 1. That said, Watson figures to be eased back into the mix once the Browns resume on-field activities, a scenario that should result in newcomers Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley seeing added signal-caller reps until Watson is deemed ready to practice without limitations.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Almost ready to throw again
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Watson (shoulder) is on track or slightly ahead in his rehab schedule and will begin throwing in March, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The quarterback had surgery Nov. 21 to repair a fractured right shoulder socket. Watson resumed work in the weight room last week and is already discussing the possibility of organizing offseason throwing sessions with teammates for the third year in a row. New Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said he's optimistic about getting Watson back to the level of play he demonstrated in Houston, and the the QB's fully guaranteed contract ensures the Browns will give him another chance as the clear starter despite disappointing showings in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. The contract runs through 2026 (Watson's age-31 season).
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Has shoulder surgery
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Watson underwent surgery on the displaced fracture in his right throwing shoulder Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Watson sat out Weeks 4 and 6 due to a shoulder injury before playing in three of the Browns' next four games. After a Week 10 matchup with the Ravens though, testing revealed a season-ending issue. With the procedure in the rearview mirror, Watson will focus on being ready for the start of the 2024 campaign. For now, Cleveland has put the offense in the hands of rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, with PJ Walker backing him up and Joe Flacco on the practice squad.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Officially placed on IR
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The Browns placed Watson (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday.
The move is merely procedural after the Browns announced earlier Wednesday that Watson -- who also suffered a left high-ankle sprain in this past Sunday's win over the Ravens -- was slated for season-ending surgery to address a displaced fracture in his right throwing shoulder. He'll thus end his second campaign in Cleveland having completed 105 of 171 passes (61 percent) for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions and rushing 26 times for 142 yards and another score in six appearances. There's an expectation that Watson will be healthy by the start of the 2024 season, but in the meantime, the Browns will entrust the offense in rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Sunday against the Steelers, with veteran PJ Walker serving as his backup.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Fractures shoulder, out for season
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The Browns announced Wednesday that Watson (ankle) will undergo season-ending surgery to address a displaced fracture in his right shoulder.
Watson previously missed three games and three quarters of another due to what had been described as a right rotator cuff strain, but he returned to action to start both of the Browns' past two contests. During Sunday's 33-31 win over the Ravens, Watson exited late in the second quarter after he appeared to injure his left ankle, but he missed just one snap and proceeded to complete all 14 of his pass attempts in the second half to help lead Cleveland to a come-from-behind victory. The Browns sent Watson in for what was described as a precautionary MRI on Monday, and unfortunately for the quarterback, he was diagnosed not only with a high-ankle sprain, but also a fracture in his throwing shoulder, which apparently stemmed from a hit he took in the first half against the Ravens. He'll head in for surgery on the shoulder in the coming days and will be placed on injured reserve, but the Browns fully expect Watson to be ready to go for the 2024 season. PJ Walker or Dorian Thompson-Robinson will step in as the Browns' new starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Steelers. Since being acquired from the Texans in March 2022 and immediately signing a five-year, $230 million contract, Watson has appeared in just 12 games for Cleveland and has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 317 yards and two scores on 62 carries.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Downplays injury after win
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Watson (ankle) believes the left ankle injury he suffered in Sunday's 33-31 win over the Ravens won't force him to miss any time, Michael Baca of NFL.com reports. "Right now I'm not feeling well, but I'll be fine, I'll be ready to go," Watson said after the game while wearing a walking boot.
Watson elaborated that his left ankle was rolled up on by a Baltimore defender just before halftime. The quarterback went to the locker room late in the second quarter to have his ankle re-taped, and he never felt he was in danger of being ruled out. Watson played the second half of the comeback win and expects to be available when the Browns host the Steelers in a pivotal Week 11 clash between AFC North rivals.
