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Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said 'plan' is for Deshaun Watson to play in preseason finale
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- Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said 'plan' is for Deshaun Watson to play in preseason finale
BEREA — Head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Monday that quarterback Deshaun Watson will play in the Browns ' preseason finale Aug. 24 at the Seattle Seahawks .
Stefanski, at the end of his pre-practice press conference , was asked if he had a plan for how he was going to handle the Seahawks' game, which will kick off at 10 p.m. Eastern time. After saying he did, he was asked if the plan included Watson playing in the game.
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"That's the plan," Stefanski said before walking away from the microphone stand.
Watson has not played in a live game of any kind since last Nov. 12, when he led the Browns to a 33-31 comeback win at the Baltimore Ravens . That was the same game in which he sustained a broken glenoid that ultimately needed season-ending surgery.
The subject of playing in the preseason was asked to Watson when he spoke July 26 on the second day of training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. At the time, he called it a "Kevin decision."
"If I'm playing, I'm on the field, I got to go out there and perform," Watson said at the time. "So anytime I'm on that field I'm competing and if I play then I play. If not, then I support my teammates."
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) gestures before an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Watson was in uniform, but did not play, for the Browns' preseason opener last Saturday against the Green Bay Packers . Stefanski has already said the quarterback would get the "vast majority" of snaps in Wednesday's and Thursday's joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings , but that he wouldn't play in Saturday's second preseason game.
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That left one of two options for Stefanski in terms of how to handle his starting quarterback. He could go with starting him in the preseason finale three time zones away in a game that will kick off at 10 p.m. Cleveland time, or he could make his first game back from shoulder surgery be the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys .
Stefanski opted to go with the first option, which is actually in line with his normal thinking with regards to the preseason. He has typically treated the final preseason game as a tune-up for most of his regulars, with only a handful of starters not playing traditionally.
Watson started two preseason games last year. He played one drive — 12 total plays — while going 3 of 3 for 12 yards while rushing three times for 20 yards against the Washington Commanders in what was the second game that preseason due to the Browns' Hall of Fame Game participation.
During the preseason finale at the Kansas City Chiefs last season, Watson played four first-quarter drives, for a total of 20 plays. He was 5 of 10 for 92 yards and a touchdown, while netting one yard on three carries.
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Watson has played in just 12 total games with the Browns since being acquired in the March 18, 2022, trade with the Houston Texans . He lost 11 games in 2022 to his personal conduct suspension in connection with more than two dozen allegations by women of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in massage appointments.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) passes the ball during practice Aug. 4 at the Browns training facility in Berea.
Last season, Watson missed three games in October, while also leaving a fourth late in the first quarter, due to a sprained rotator cuff. He then had the season-ending shoulder surgery on Nov. 21, which limited him to a total of just six starts for the season.
"I was very disappointed and down, not just because I couldn't show exactly what I can do for this organization," Watson said July 26. "Yeah, I understand that they put a lot into me, but sometimes the injuries you can't control. So a lot of things kind of didn't fall in place the last two years, but praying and taking one day at a time that everything due this year."
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While Watson has been limited in his preseason game reps, he hasn't been held back in the number of practices he's been able to throw in during training camp. Monday marked the 12th training camp practice, and he had thrown in 11 of those practices.
The only true day off from throwing Watson has received in training camp came on the final day the Browns were in West Virginia on Aug. 2. That's a far cry from the workload he had during either the offseason program or the June minicamp, when he was limited to every other day and only moved beyond individual drills in minicamp.
"I mean this is the goal is to get to training camp and have no limits," Watson said. "So yeah, each day is a milestone for me until we get to game one. So just trying to get better, just trying to continue to get back to the person I feel like I am and yeah, just keep working each and every day."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kevin Stefanski: 'Plan' for Deshaun Watson to play in preseason finale
